Bladder cancer - symptoms

Bladder cancer/symptoms

Blood in your urine is the most common symptom of bladder cancer.

The medical name for blood in your urine is haematuria and it's usually painless. You may notice streaks of blood in your urine or the blood may turn your urine brown. The blood isn't always noticeable and it may come and go.

Less common symptoms of bladder cancer include:

• a need to urinate on a more frequent basis


• sudden urges to urinate


• a burning sensation when passing urine

If bladder cancer reaches an advanced stage and has spread, symptoms can include:

• pelvic pain


• bone pain


• unintentional weight loss


• swelling of the legs

If you have blood in your urine – even if it comes and goes – you should visit your GP, so the cause can be investigated.

Having blood in your urine doesn't mean you definitely have bladder cancer. There are other, more common, causes including:

• a urinary tract infections (UTIs), such as cystitis


• a kidney infection


• kidney stones


• non-gonococcal urethritis


• an enlarged prostate gland, in men