Blood in the urine
The single urological symptom that should never be watched and waited on.
What it may mean
Blood in the urine has many causes, and most of them are not cancer — infection, stones and an enlarged prostate are all common explanations. But bladder and kidney cancers can bleed once, stop, and stay silent for months. That is exactly why a single episode is enough to justify a full check.
Painless visible blood is the pattern that matters most. Blood you can see, with no pain and no burning, in someone over 40, is investigated as cancer until proven otherwise. Being reassured because it settled on its own is the most common way a diagnosis gets delayed.
What happens next
- A urine test and culture to exclude infection
- A CT urogram to look at the kidneys and ureters
- A flexible cystoscopy to look inside the bladder
- Urine cytology in selected cases
Bladder cancer
TURBT, intravesical therapy and radical cystectomy with urinary diversion, staged properly from the outset.
If this is happening now
Complete inability to pass urine, visible blood in the urine, or severe one-sided flank pain with fever need same-day assessment. Attend your nearest emergency department.