Screening for bladder cancer
There is no national screening programme for bladder cancer in the UK. This is because there isn't a screening test that reliably picks up bladder cancer at an early stage.
What is cancer screening?
Screening means testing people for early stages of a disease. This is before they have any symptoms. For screening to be useful the tests:
- need to be reliable at picking up cancers
- overall must do more good than harm to people taking part
- must be something that people are willing to do
Screening tests are not perfect and have some risks. The screening programme should also be good value for money for the NHS.
Why there isn’t a screening programme for bladder cancer in the UK?
There is no screening programme for bladder cancer in the UK at the moment because:
- there is no reliable screening test for bladder cancer
- the benefits don’t outweigh the costs
People at higher risk of getting bladder cancer
Talk to your GP if you think you are at a increased risk of bladder cancer. They may ask questions about any family members who have cancer and the age they were diagnosed.
Your GP may be able to reassure you that your risk of bladder cancer is not increased. Or they may refer you to a family cancer clinic or genetic clinic for advice.
Whether you think you are at high risk or not, it is very important to see your doctor if you develop any bladder symptoms. This is the best way of finding bladder cancer in its earliest stages, when it is most treatable.
Research into screening
At the moment there is no reliable screening test for bladder cancer. Doctors have been looking at urine tests to diagnose bladder cancer. A urine sample is less invasive, simpler and quicker than other bladder cancer tests.
Testing urine for blood
Testing for blood in the urine is not a useful screening test for the general population. This is because small amounts of blood in urine can be due to other medical conditions. For example, a urine infection or kidney problems.
Doctors looked at testing for blood in the urine as a test for people at a higher risk of bladder cancer. The test involves dipping a testing stick into a fresh sample of your urine. The National Screening Committee looked at the results of many studies. They think that testing the urine for blood is not a useful test for this group of people at the moment.
