Understanding a bladder cancer diagnosis
Bladder cancer is a disease where abnormal cells in the bladder grow uncontrollably. It’s one of the most common cancers affecting the urinary system.
At Penn Medicine, getting an accurate bladder cancer diagnosis is the first step toward customized treatment options. When you work with us, you can expect fast answers—and a team of experienced experts on your side. Our bladder cancer specialists use the latest, most accurate diagnostic tools and innovative treatments to customize your care.
How is bladder cancer diagnosed at Penn Medicine?
Diagnosing bladder cancer involves an exam with a urologist or other specialist and may include several different types of tests.
Bladder cancer stages
Bladder cancer staging involves gathering as many details as possible. These details help you and your doctors make key treatment decisions. They also help you understand your bladder cancer prognosis, or the predicted outcome of the cancer.
At Penn Medicine, we stage a large number of bladder cancers in our integrated Urologic Cancer Program. Our patients benefit from a team of world-class bladder cancer experts who share their expertise to more precisely stage tumors and improve prognoses.
The stages of bladder cancer are:
- Stage 0: Abnormal cells are in the lining of the bladder.
- Stage I: Cancer cells have formed and spread to the layer of tissue under the inner lining of the bladder.
- Stage II: Cancer has spread to the inner or outer muscle layer of the bladder.
- Stage III: Cancer has spread from the bladder to the layer of tissue surrounding the bladder. It may have also spread to the nearby reproductive organs.
- Stage IV: Cancer has spread from the bladder to the wall of the abdomen or pelvis. Cancer may also have spread to other parts of the body.
Staging bladder cancer helps your medical team compare your situation to other patients with bladder cancer. Your doctors can also review clinical studies on groups of patients in similar cancer stages. This information can help them predict how cancer may behave and how different treatments may work.
Learn more about bladder cancer treatments
Our expertise ensures an accurate bladder cancer diagnosis
Bladder cancer symptoms can easily be confused with the symptoms of other conditions. Because our urologic oncologists specialize in bladder cancer, they know exactly what to look for and what tools to use for an accurate, timely diagnosis.
When you partner with us, you benefit from:
- Team approach: Experts within our bladder cancer program include urologists, cancer surgeons, radiation and medical oncologists, and advanced practice providers. They regularly meet to discuss symptoms, lab results, and other key aspects of a diagnosis. Because they work together, you have a team of world-class experts weighing in on your care and fewer appointments to manage.
- Bladder cancer pathologists: Lab tests inform and guide our medical decisions. Pathologists are the doctors who oversee and analyze these and other tests, including biopsies. Our pathologists specialize in genitourinary (GU) and urological cancers, including bladder cancer. Their expertise helps us deliver more precise, detailed diagnoses—which makes treatment plans more effective.
- Radiologists with bladder cancer expertise: Radiologists are doctors who specialize in medical imaging tests, such as CT scans and MRIs. These tools help detect bladder cancer. Our radiologists are GU and bladder cancer specialists. Since they focus on looking at these cancers, they see important details that others may miss.
- Expert advanced practice providers: Our highly trained advanced practice providers are GU cancer researchers, educators, and leaders. If you have symptoms, such as blood in your urine, they’re a critical first step toward a detailed and accurate diagnosis. They plan for and perform the tests and imaging scans you need to quickly get a treatment plan tailored to your needs.
- Dedicated nurse navigator: From your first contact with our program, our cancer nurse navigators make things convenient and easy. If you’re facing a bladder cancer diagnosis, your nurse navigator coordinates your appointments with the right providers and helps you understand what to expect and how to prepare.
Rated “exceptional” by The National Cancer Institute
Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center is a world leader in cancer research, patient care, and education. Our status as a national leader in cancer care is reflected in our continuous designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) since 1973, one of 7 such centers in the United States. The ACC is also a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, one of a select few cancer centers in the U.S., that are working to promote equitable access to high-quality, advanced cancer care.