Bladder Cancer: What Happens

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What Happens

Bladder cancer is the rapid, uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the bladder. Cancer usually begins in the lining of the bladder (superficial bladder cancer). The cancerous cells may grow through the lining into the muscular wall of the bladder. Invasive bladder cancer may spread to lymph nodes, other organs in the pelvis (causing problems with kidney and bowel function), or other organs in the body, such as the liver and lungs.

Bladder cancer is classified by stage and grade. The stage is determined by the cancer growth in the bladder wall and how far it has spread to nearby tissues and other organs, such as the lungs, the liver, or the bones. The grade of bladder cancer is determined by how the cancer cells look in comparison with normal bladder cells.

Your health professional determines the stage and grade of your bladder cancer by gathering information from a variety of tests, including blood tests, urine tests, biopsies, bone scans, X-rays, and CT scans. The stage and grade of your cancer are important factors in selecting the treatment option that is right for you.

Bladder cancer is usually curable if it is diagnosed while the cancer is still contained in the bladder, and up to 80% of bladder cancers are diagnosed at this early stage.³ Survival rates decrease as the stage of cancer becomes more advanced, as the cancer cells become more abnormal (grade), and when the cancer involves lymph nodes or other body organs.¹

Last updated:	May 25, 2007
Author:	Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH
Reviewed By:	E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine, Philip Belitsky, MD, FRCSC - Urology
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman, MATC