最終更新日: 2026年8月15日
Bladder cancer is the commonest cancer of the urinary tract, and it announces itself in a very particular way: blood in the urine, without any pain at all. That absence of pain is exactly what makes it dangerous, because pain is what usually sends people to a doctor.

One point before anything else, because it is the reason diagnoses get delayed. The bleeding is usually intermittent. It appears for a day or two, then stops completely, and the urine looks entirely normal again. That is not the problem resolving — the tumour does not go away when the bleeding does. A single episode of painless blood in the urine deserves investigation, even if it never comes back. Waiting to see whether it happens again is the most common and most costly mistake with this disease.
The two major リスク要因
1. Smoking

Tobacco is by far the largest risk factor: roughly 50% of bladder cancer patients have smoked, and smokers carry up to six times the risk of non-smokers. The risk rises with both how long and how heavily you smoked.
Two things are worth knowing about that. First, the elevated risk persists for decades after quitting — which means a man who stopped fifteen years ago should still take painless hematuria seriously rather than assuming smoking is behind him. Second, quitting is still worth it: the risk falls over time, and it also lowers the chance of a tumour coming back after treatment. The risk from electronic cigarettes is not yet established.
2. Occupational exposure

10–20% of cases are attributed to work exposure — chemicals used in making dyes, paint, rubber and petroleum products, inhaled over years. This is a modifiable risk: proper industrial safety practice and protective equipment genuinely reduce it. If your work has involved these, it is worth mentioning to your doctor, since it changes how seriously a single episode of hematuria should be taken.
What the assessment involves
The purpose of the workup is to find or exclude a tumour, and to distinguish it from the other things that cause blood in the urine — infection and stones being the commonest.
A full history and examination come first, then urine tests, then CT with contrast to image the whole urinary tract. The decisive investigation is cystoscopy — passing a telescope into the bladder to look directly at the lining. Nothing else sees the inside of the bladder as reliably, and the same procedure allows a suspicious area to be biopsied and a tumour resected, so it is diagnostic and therapeutic at once.

The encouraging part is that bladder cancer found early is very treatable. Most cases are non-muscle-invasive at diagnosis and are managed endoscopically, without removing the bladder. What decides the outcome, more than almost anything else, is how quickly the first episode of bleeding is investigated. If a tumour is found and treated, regular surveillance afterwards becomes part of the picture too.
If you have experienced painless blood in urine or would like a bladder cancer evaluation, Dr. Soarawee Weerasopone offers specialist consultations at Bangkok Hospital Headquarters. 診療をご予約. サミティウェート・シーラチャ病院のご予約は、泌尿器科(電話番号:)までお問い合わせください。 088-022-1445.
Frequently Asked Questions about Bladder Cancer
The most classic and common symptom of bladder cancer is painless hematuria – blood in the urine without any associated pain. This is the hallmark warning sign that should prompt immediate urological evaluation. Because it is painless and often intermittent, patients sometimes ignore it or assume the problem has resolved when the urine clears, which can delay diagnosis. Any episode of blood in urine, even a single occurrence, warrants investigation.
Yes. Smoking is the single most significant risk factor for bladder cancer, responsible for approximately 50% of cases. Smokers have up to six times the bladder cancer risk of non-smokers. The risk increases with both the duration and intensity of smoking. Importantly, quitting smoking reduces risk over time but elevated risk persists for decades after cessation.
Workers with chronic occupational exposure to aromatic amines and other chemicals used in the production of dyes, rubber, paint, and petroleum products account for 10–20% of bladder cancer cases. Other risk factors include older age, male sex, chronic urinary tract infections, and certain medications such as cyclophosphamide used in chemotherapy.
Bladder cancer diagnosis typically involves a combination of urine cytology (microscopic examination for cancer cells), CT urography with contrast (to assess the entire urinary tract), and cystoscopy (direct endoscopic visualization of the bladder interior). Cystoscopy allows for biopsy and transurethral resection of suspicious lesions, serving as both a diagnostic and therapeutic tool.
Yes. When detected early, bladder cancer has excellent treatment outcomes. Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (the most common type) is treated with endoscopic resection and intravesical therapy, with high survival rates. Muscle-invasive cases require more aggressive treatment including radical cystectomy or chemoradiation. Early detection through prompt evaluation of hematuria is critical to achieving the best outcomes.
免責事項 この記事は、バンコク病院本部のボード認定泌尿器科医であるソアラウィー・ウィーラソポン医師(Dr. Soarawee Weerasopone)によって執筆および監修されています。教育目的のみを意図しており、医学的なアドバイスを構成するものではありません。個人的なメッセージチャンネルを通じて、医学的なアドバイス、診断、処方箋が提供されることはありません。医療処置を開始する前に、必ず資格を持った医療従事者にご相談ください。.
医学的に記述・監修: ソアラウィー・ウィーラソポーン医師(ポム医師)— 認定泌尿器科医、バンコク病院本部、2016年より泌尿器科診療に従事。フェローシップ:ロボット手術、長庚記念病院、台湾(2019年) · オブザーバーシップ:内視鏡泌尿器科、順天堂大学病院、東京(2022年) · 研究員兼臨床オブザーバー、ベイラー医科大学スコット泌尿器科、米国(2025年~2026年)。.

ソアラウィー・ウィーラソポーン医師(愛称:ポム医師)は、バンコク病院本院の認定泌尿器科医であり、男性医学、ロボット支援手術(ダヴィンチXi)、および尿路結石治療を専門としています。現在、モヒット・ケラ教授の指導の下、ベイラー医科大学スコット泌尿器科の客員研究員および臨床オブザーバーを務めています(2025〜20記念6年)。2019年に台湾の長庚紀念病院でロボット手術のフェローシップを修了し、2022年には東京の順天堂大学病院で内視鏡泌尿器科のオブザーバーシップを修了しました。.


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