Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentPreventionFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
Frequently Asked Questions
Bladder canceris often mistaken for abladder infectionbecause they share many of the same symptoms. Patients with either condition may experience increased urgency, frequency, and pain with urination orincontinence—the inability to hold in urine.
Yourbladderis the organ located in the urinary tract. It is the waystation between yourkidneys, which filter waste out of the bloodstream to make urine, and yoururethra, which is the tube that your urine passes through when you urinate. The bladder collects urine and stores it until you’re ready to release it.
Verywell / Shideh Ghandeharizadeh
Two common causes of dysfunction of the urinary system and the bladder are bladder cancer and bladder infections. These two conditions have some overlapping symptoms, but bladder infections are much more common.
This article will briefly review the symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of bladder infections and bladder cancer. It will highlight how these two conditions differ and the easiest ways to tell them apart.
Symptoms of bladder cancer and bladder infection can be quite similar. Both conditions cause changes to urination, including feeling the need to urinate urgently, urinate more frequently, pain when urinating, or an inability to control your urine.
Symptoms of Bladder Infection
The main symptom of abladder infectionis a burning feeling when you urinate. You may also feel an intense urge to urinate but then be able to let out little urine when you try to relieve yourself.
Symptoms of Bladder Cancer
Commonsymptoms of bladder cancer, on the other hand, are slightly more complex.
The most common symptom of bladder cancer is a change in the color of your urine. Your urine may become orange, pink, rusty brown, dark red, or bright red in color, which would indicate there’s blood in your urine.
Blood in the urine is also a common symptom of a bladder infection, so it is one that is often misdiagnosed in women presenting with bladder cancer.
Other symptoms common in cases of bladder cancer include:
While bladder cancer and bladder infections both impact the urinary system and show similar symptoms, they’re fundamentally different dysfunctions.
Causes of Bladder Cancer
Bladder canceris when cells of the bladder lining grow out of control and start spreading to other parts of the organ and, potentially, other parts of the body. This growth can disrupt the normal functioning of the bladder and other essential organ systems. If untreated, bladder cancer can be deadly.
Causes of Bladder Infection
Bladder infections, sometimes calledcystitisorurinary tract infections(UTI), are when a germ—usually bacteria—takes up residence in the bladder. Bladder infections are the most common type of UTI, but UTIs can develop in any part of the urinary tract.
The infection causes inflammation and disrupts the normal working of the urinary tract. If left untreated, these infections can also spread to the kidneys, which is more dangerous and painful.
Diagnosis of Bladder Infection
To diagnose a bladder infection, the medical professional will likely order a set of tests on your urine to look for signs of infection.
Tests would include a urinalysis to test if bacteria are in your bladder or urinary tract and if your immune system is fighting an infection. While urinalysis may indicate infection, a urine culture is the definitive test to diagnose an infection and identify the kind of bacteria involved. A culture takes 24 hours or more.
If your bladder infection returns or you’re getting many UTIs, a medical professional may want to look for underlying issues in the urinary tract.
These tests include using a lighted camera instrument to visualize inside the urinary tract, a procedure called acystoscopy. Or they may order something called urodynamic testing, which shows them how well urine moves through the different parts of your urinary tract.
Diagnosis of Bladder Cancer
Along with the tests done if a bladder infection is suspected, a medical professionaldiagnosing bladder cancerwill likely order or perform several more tests.
During your visit, they may perform an internal exam of the vagina or rectum to see if they can feel any lumps in your pelvic area.
They may order a set of X-rays called anintravenous pyelogram, which lets them check the kidneys, ureters, and bladder for cancers.
It’s also possible the medical professional would order a biopsy of the bladder during the cystoscopy exam. This biopsy removes a sample of the inner lining of the bladder in the area they think might be cancerous. The surgeon may even remove the entire tumor.
A specialist doctor called apathologistthen looks at the cells in the biopsy sample for signs of cancer.
Treatments for bladder infection are very different than treatment for bladder cancer. So getting the correct diagnosis early is essential to ensure you’re getting the right treatment for cancer while it’s still in the early stages.
Bladder Cancer Treatment
Bladder cancers are treatedwith surgery (transurethral resection of bladder tumor) or possiblecystectomy(full or partial removal of the bladder) depending on the cancer type. Radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy (includingBCG), and targeted therapy may also be used.
Depending on how advanced bladder cancer is when first diagnosed, an oncologist will prescribe differenttreatments. Multiple types of treatments, at the same time or in succession, may be laid out in your treatment plan
Bladder Infection Treatment
Bladder infections are typically treated with antibiotics to help your body fight off the bacteria causing the infection. Your medical professional will choose an antibiotic based on the type of bacteria and any previous reactions you’ve had to antibiotics.
Because these two urinary tract conditions have drastically different underlying causes, they also have other risk factors and things you can do to prevent them.
Preventing Bladder Infections
There are a few things you can do to prevent bladder infections:
Preventing Bladder Cancer
Preventing bladder cancer, though, is a different story. It may bedue to differences in your genesor exposure to specific cancer treatments.
There are some potentially preventable risk factors for bladder cancer. Things you can do to reduce your risk of developing bladder cancer include:
Summary
A Word From Verywell
Getting the right diagnosis of your bladder condition is important, as bladder cancer gets more difficult to treat as it advances, reducing the survival rate. About 84,000 people develop bladder cancer every year, according to the National Cancer Institute’s SEER database. That means 2.4% of people will get bladder cancer during their lives.
Bladder infections are much more common than bladder cancer. Between 40% and 60% of women develop a UTI at some point in their lives. Men are less prone to developing bladder infections; when they do, the infection may often be due to an underlying issue like an enlarged prostate.
Whatever is causing your bladder condition, see your healthcare professional so you get the correct treatment.
Cancer or cancer treatments may disrupt the immune system, which could leave you open to more infections than you would get normally. These infections can include urinary tract infections or bladder infections.Learn MoreHow to Lower Your Infection Risk During Chemotherapy
Cancer or cancer treatments may disrupt the immune system, which could leave you open to more infections than you would get normally. These infections can include urinary tract infections or bladder infections.
Learn MoreHow to Lower Your Infection Risk During Chemotherapy
When comparing urinary tract infection (UTI) and bladder cancer there are many overlapping symptoms. Some of the symptoms that are more common in bladder cancer than in UTIs include blood in the urine and pain in the back or side.Learn MoreSigns and Symptoms of Bladder Cancer
When comparing urinary tract infection (UTI) and bladder cancer there are many overlapping symptoms. Some of the symptoms that are more common in bladder cancer than in UTIs include blood in the urine and pain in the back or side.
Learn MoreSigns and Symptoms of Bladder Cancer
Frequent bladder infections can have many causes. If hygiene and lifestyle interventions don’t help, it’s possibly just due to anatomy. Females have a shorter urethra and a shorter distance from the anus to the opening of the urethra, making it easier for bacteria to travel from one to the other. That makes bladder infections more common in women. Males are actually more likely to get bladder cancer than females.Learn MoreChronic Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) and Sex
Frequent bladder infections can have many causes. If hygiene and lifestyle interventions don’t help, it’s possibly just due to anatomy. Females have a shorter urethra and a shorter distance from the anus to the opening of the urethra, making it easier for bacteria to travel from one to the other. That makes bladder infections more common in women. Males are actually more likely to get bladder cancer than females.
Learn MoreChronic Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) and Sex
Learn MoreCauses and Risk Factors of Bladder Cancer
12 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Cancer Institute.Urinary Bladder.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & causes.American Cancer Society.Bladder cancer signs and symptoms.University of Rochester Medical Center.Could persistent UTI-like symptoms be bladder cancer?.National Cancer Institute.Bladder cancer treatment (PDQ®)–patient version - national.National Cancer Institute.Bladder and other urothelial cancers screening (PDQ®)–health professional version.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Definition & facts.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diagnosis.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment.National Cancer Institute.Bladder cancer — cancer stat facts.American Cancer Society.Why people with cancer are more likely to get infections.Bayne CE, Farah D, Herbst KW, Hsieh MH.Role of urinary tract infection in bladder cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.World J Urol. 2018;36(8):1181-1190. doi:10.1007/s00345-018-2257-z
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Cancer Institute.Urinary Bladder.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & causes.American Cancer Society.Bladder cancer signs and symptoms.University of Rochester Medical Center.Could persistent UTI-like symptoms be bladder cancer?.National Cancer Institute.Bladder cancer treatment (PDQ®)–patient version - national.National Cancer Institute.Bladder and other urothelial cancers screening (PDQ®)–health professional version.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Definition & facts.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diagnosis.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment.National Cancer Institute.Bladder cancer — cancer stat facts.American Cancer Society.Why people with cancer are more likely to get infections.Bayne CE, Farah D, Herbst KW, Hsieh MH.Role of urinary tract infection in bladder cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.World J Urol. 2018;36(8):1181-1190. doi:10.1007/s00345-018-2257-z
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Cancer Institute.Urinary Bladder.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & causes.American Cancer Society.Bladder cancer signs and symptoms.University of Rochester Medical Center.Could persistent UTI-like symptoms be bladder cancer?.National Cancer Institute.Bladder cancer treatment (PDQ®)–patient version - national.National Cancer Institute.Bladder and other urothelial cancers screening (PDQ®)–health professional version.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Definition & facts.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diagnosis.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment.National Cancer Institute.Bladder cancer — cancer stat facts.American Cancer Society.Why people with cancer are more likely to get infections.Bayne CE, Farah D, Herbst KW, Hsieh MH.Role of urinary tract infection in bladder cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.World J Urol. 2018;36(8):1181-1190. doi:10.1007/s00345-018-2257-z
National Cancer Institute.Urinary Bladder.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Symptoms & causes.
American Cancer Society.Bladder cancer signs and symptoms.
University of Rochester Medical Center.Could persistent UTI-like symptoms be bladder cancer?.
National Cancer Institute.Bladder cancer treatment (PDQ®)–patient version - national.
National Cancer Institute.Bladder and other urothelial cancers screening (PDQ®)–health professional version.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Definition & facts.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Diagnosis.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.Treatment.
National Cancer Institute.Bladder cancer — cancer stat facts.
American Cancer Society.Why people with cancer are more likely to get infections.
Bayne CE, Farah D, Herbst KW, Hsieh MH.Role of urinary tract infection in bladder cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.World J Urol. 2018;36(8):1181-1190. doi:10.1007/s00345-018-2257-z
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