What Does It Mean to Have Polyps in the Bladder?

Polyps form when cells begin to grow abnormally. Often the cause of this growth isn’t known.

Sometimes the cells in a polyp can grow quickly and spread to other organs. These types of polyps are cancerous.

Bladder cancer may be caused by:

• Tobacco smoke. About half of all bladder cancer cases are caused by smoking.
• Exposure to radiation or to toxic chemicals, which may happen at work.
• Irritation of the bladder lining, such as from an infection.

Fibroepithelial polyps are rare, noncancerous polyps that form in the ureters and top of the bladder. Sometimes children are born with this type of polyp. In other cases, these polyps are caused by infections, irritation of the bladder, or injury.

Rarely, polyps can form from collagen that is injected into the bladder to treat stress incontinence.

Bladder polyps often don’t cause symptoms. If you do have symptoms, they can include:

• pain when you urinate
• blood in the urine
• more frequent urination
• an urgent need to urinate
• pain in your side

These symptoms may be signs of bladder cancer. They may also be due to another condition, such as a urinary tract infection or benign prostate growth.

You’re more likely to get bladder polyps if you:

• Are male. Men are at greater risk for bladder polyps and bladder cancer than are women.
• Smoke. Cigarettes, cigars, and pipes contain toxic chemicals that can build up in your urine and damage your bladder lining.
• Are over 40. The risk of bladder cancer also increases with age.
• Are exposed to cancer-causing substances at work. Some of the chemicals used to manufacture dyes, leather, rubber, textiles, and paints have been linked to an increased bladder cancer risk.
• Often get infections. Repeated infections can irritate your bladder and increase your risk for polyps and bladder cancer.

Additional risk factors for bladder cancer include people who:

• Have had a catheter in their bladder for a long period of time.
• Have bladder stones.
• Had chemotherapy or radiation in the past. The chemotherapy drug cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan) and radiation to the pelvis are linked to an increased risk for bladder cancer.
• Have a family history. You’re more likely to develop bladder cancer if your parent, sibling, or other close relative has had the disease.
• Have human papillomavirus (HPV). Some studies suggest that there may be a link between HPV and risk for bladder cancer.

To diagnose bladder polyps, you can see a specialist called a urologist. Your doctor will first ask about your symptoms, as well as your personal and family history of polyps and bladder cancer.

Tests that are used to diagnose bladder polyps and cancer include:

• Urine culture. The doctor checks a sample of your urine for bacteria that cause infections. Find out how to collect a clean catch urine sample.
• Urine cytology. A urine sample is tested to look for cancer cells.
• Urine tumor marker tests. These tests look for substances in your urine that bladder cancer cells release.
• Cystoscopy. The doctor places a thin scope with a light and camera on one end into your bladder. This test can show any growths in the lining of your bladder.

The doctor can check a polyp for cancer by removing a small piece of tissue from it during a cystoscopy and sending it to a lab to be examined under a microscope. This test is called a biopsy.

If a bladder polyp is noncancerous and not causing any symptoms, no treatment is necessary.

If a bladder polyp is cancerous, or it’s large enough to cause symptoms or affect your bladder function, your doctor will remove it.

One way to remove polyps is with a type of surgery called transurethral bladder resection (TURBT). The doctor first puts a cystoscope through your urethra into your bladder. Then, the surgeon uses a laser, a wire loop, or electricity to remove the growth.

If the polyp is cancerous and the cancer has spread, your doctor may do a radical cystectomy. This procedure removes your whole bladder, along with nearby organs like the:

• prostate (in men)
• urethra
• uterus and ovaries (in women)

Your outlook depends on whether the polyp is cancerous. Once a noncancerous polyp is removed, you should no longer have symptoms.

Bladder cancer survival rates depend on the stage of the cancer. Stage is determined by the size of the tumor and whether it has spread to other organs. Survival rates for early-stage bladder cancers are higher than for late-stage cancer. Your urologist will tell you what to expect from your cancer stage.