When to worry about blood in urine if you have bladder cancer

Bladder tumours can bleed into the urine, sometimes intermittently. Bleeding may also follow a procedure or arise from infection, stones, medicines, or another urinary condition. Burning, urgency, pelvic pain, fever, clots, or difficulty emptying the bladder should be shared with your cancer team.

Call your oncology or urology team and describe the urine colour, duration, clots, pain, fever, and urine flow. Keep drinking fluids unless a clinician has restricted them, and take medicines only as prescribed. Ask which symptoms require your treatment centre, an urgent clinic, or an emergency department.

Seek immediate help if you cannot pass urine, pass large clots, have heavy ongoing bleeding, faintness, severe weakness, confusion, severe pain, fever with chills, or vomiting. A clot can obstruct the bladder, and infection may become serious when drainage is impaired.

Ask whether the bleeding could relate to the cancer or treatment, how to manage clots, whether medicines need review, and who to call outside clinic hours.