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You are here: Cancer information / Cancer type / Bladder / Pathology and Staging

Glossary

Pathology and staging of bladder cancer

Pathology refers to the careful examination of tissue under a microscope in order to find out whether it's cancerous or non-cancerous and to determine the type of tumour it is. Different types of tumours can affect the bladder.

Benign tumours

Benign tumours are non-cancerous growths that do not spread to other parts of the body and are not usually life-threatening:

  • papillomas

Malignant tumours

Malignant tumours are cancerous growths that have the potential to metastasize (spread to other parts of the body):

  • transitional cell carcinoma
  • rare malignant tumours
    • squamous cell carcinoma
    • adenocarcinoma
    • sarcomatoid carcinoma
    • small cell carcinoma
    • micropapillary bladder cancer
    • lymphoepithelioma
    • urachal cancer
    • sarcoma

 

Once the type of tumour has been diagnosed, the doctor will also consider:

  • the grade of the tumour (how abnormal the cancer cells look and behave)
  • the stage of the cancer (how far the cancer has progressed) and if it has spread
  • the progression of the cancer (where it has spread)
  • prognostic factors (special characteristics that might influence the course of the disease)
  • survival statistics for the particular type and stage of cancer

 

All of this information helps the doctor make a treatment plan.

 

See a list of questions to ask your doctor about pathology and staging.

References

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