Diagnosis of Bladder Cancer

Differential Diagnosis of Bladder Cancer

The signs and symptoms of bladder cancer may be caused by other underlying medical conditions that must be taken into consideration during the diagnostic "work-up" for suspected bladder cancer. This is known as a differential diagnosis. Some of the conditions that are taken into consideration in the differential diagnosis of bladder cancer include:

• Urinary tract infections
• Inflammation of the prostate gland (prostatitis) in men
• Interstitial cystitis - inflammation of the bladder wall characterized by intense pain in the pelvic area
• Kidney or bladder stones
• Renal cell carcinoma - the most common form of kidney cancer
• Gynecological cancer or other cancers of the pelvic region
• Trauma to the bladder or other areas of the urinary tract
• Radiation cystitis - inflammation of the bladder due to radiation therapy