The bladder is the organ located in the lower abdomen where urine is stored temporarily after it has been produced in the kidneys and transported by way of tubes called ureters. The bladder’s wall is multi-layered, and cancer usually arises in the innermost lining, spreading outwardly to the external walls. There are three types of bladder cancer that are typically identified: urothelial carcinoma (transitional cell), squamous cell carcinoma, and adenocarcinoma. Treatment choices may depend on which type the patient has.

Those who suffer from bladder cancer may experience a combination of the following symptoms:

• Painful urination
• Blood in the urine
• Frequent urination
• The need to urinate, but without results

If a patient has a number of symptoms or risk factors, the following tests can diagnose bladder cancer. The sooner cancer is diagnosed the easier it is to treat.

A patient's first option is a physcial exam. The physician feels the abdomen and pelvis for lumps or swelling. He or she may also conduct a rectal or vaginal exam.

A urine culture will examine a sample of the patient’s urine for infection, blood or cancer cells.

Urine cytology checks for cancer cells from what has been “washed” from the bladder.

During an intravenous pyelogram, dye is injected into the bloodstream so that it ends up in the urine. Then x-rays are taken of the bladder, with higher visibility for abnormalities due to the dye.

During a cystoscopy the physician will insert a long thin tube, the cystoscope, into the bladder through the urethra to be able to look closely at the bladder. If there is anything that appears abnormal, a sample will be taken out using the cystoscope. An examination of the sample under the microscope, a biopsy, can diagnose cancer.

X-rays, CAT scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) are used by physicians to detect cancerous growth by taking internal pictures of the body.

Surgery is the most common form of treatment for all types and stages of bladder cancer. Superficial, noninvasive tumors can be removed in a cystoscopy procedure while low-grade tumors may require partial bladder removal (cystectomy). Invasive and superficial cancers that extend over much of the bladder may require removal of the bladder (radical cystectomy), surrounding lymph nodes and cancerous structures.

Radiation therapy is a widely used alternative for people unable to undergo surgery. High-energy radiation rays can reduce tumors and kill cancer cells.

Chemotherapy is the use of powerful drugs to kill cancer. It may be given alone, with surgery, radiation therapy or both.

Biological therapy can provide an alternative to chemotherapy in Stage 0 or 1 bladder cancers. By stimulating the immune system, it can take advantage of the body's natural ability to fight cancer.