Symptoms & risk factors

Blood in your urine

This is the most common symptom of bladder cancer. It can be obvious when clearly visible to the eye (when your urine is bright red, rusty or pink) but sometimes it can be invisible and can only be found by your doctor by testing a sample of your urine.

Blood in your urine is also a symptom of many less serious medical conditions so further tests will be needed to make a diagnosis. 

If you see red when you pee, contact your family doctor or general practitioner as soon as possible.

The second-most common symptoms are related to bladder irritation. These can include needing to pee more frequently than normal, having to rush to the toilet, having to get up a lot at night or finding it painful to pee. Sometimes these symptoms appear as repeated urinary infections or urinary infections that don’t settle down with antibiotics. If you are concerned, do see your doctor.

The content on this page is kindly provided by Fight Bladder Cancer, our member organisation in the United Kingdom. We invite to explore FBC resources for more detailed patient information and support in the UK.

Bladder cancer facts infographic Download
Main bladder cancer symptoms Download
Main bladder cancer causes card Download

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