Bladder cancer: diagnosis and management

Types of bladder cancer

Most bladder cancers don't grow deeper than the lining or connective tissue of the bladder. They're called 'non‑muscle‑invasive' bladder cancers. But sometimes a bladder cancer grows into the muscle wall of the bladder. This is called 'muscle‑invasive' bladder cancer, and it can spread to other areas of the body. Bladder cancer that has spread to other parts of the body in this way is called 'locally advanced' or 'metastatic' bladder cancer.

Doctors also use the terms 'stage' and 'grade' to describe cancer. The stage describes how deeply a cancer has grown. The grade gives an idea of how fast the cancer cells are growing.

The support and treatment you should be offered depend on which type of bladder cancer you have. They are described in treating non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer, treating muscle-invasive bladder cancer and treating locally advanced or metastatic bladder cancer.