Bladder cancer is the most common malignancy of the urinary tract system. Its incidence increases with age and is more common in smokers.

The bladder is a balloon-shaped hollow organ that stores urine. Cancer forms in the cells of the bladder lining. There are several types of bladder cancer. The most common is called urothelial cell carcinoma.
<h3>Symptoms</h3>
Common symptoms of bladder cancer may include:
<ul>
	<li>Occasional to frequent blood in urine</li>
	<li>Frequent urination</li>
	<li>Pain with urination</li>
	<li>Pelvic or flank pain</li>
	<li>Weight loss</li>
</ul>
<h3>Treatment</h3>
<strong>Surgery</strong>
<ul>
	<li>Transurethral resection. Surgery to remove or destroy the tumor. The tumor can also be vaporized with a laser or burned away with an electric current called fulguration.</li>
	<li>Partial cystectomy. Surgery to remove the bladder wall that has cancer.</li>
	<li>Radical cystectomy. Surgical removal of the entire bladder and nearby lymph nodes and organs that contain cancer cells. A radical cystectomy is followed by a urinary diversion, the creation of another pathway for urine to leave the body.</li>
</ul>
<strong>Intravesical chemotherapy or immunotherapy</strong>. The temporary placement of chemotherapy or immunotherapy agents directly into the bladder through a catheter (a thin hollow tube).

<strong>Chemotherapy</strong>. Usually reserved for high-risk and metastatic disease.

<strong>Radiation therapy</strong>. Has a limited role in the treatment of bladder cancer.