Dustin Hoffman's revelation this week that he battled bladder cancer has highlighted just how easily the warning signs of a potentially deadly disease can be mistaken for something far less serious.
The Oscar-winning actor, 89, said he initially believed he was suffering from a urinary tract problem, only for a scan ordered by his doctor to reveal a cancerous tumor.
Hoffman, who underwent successful treatment in 2013, described the diagnosis as extraordinarily lucky, explaining that the cancer had been caught before it had spread.
'I had bladder cancer. I'm not ashamed to say it. And it was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me,' he said on the Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend podcast.
Around 84,000 Americans are diagnosed with bladder cancer every year, including 64,000 men, while roughly 17,000 people die from the disease annually.
And while blood in the urine is the best-known warning sign, the disease can also cause symptoms such as needing to urinate more frequently, a sudden urge to go or a burning sensation when passing urine – all of which can be mistaken for a urinary tract infection.
When bladder cancer is caught early, before it has spread into the muscle of the bladder wall or beyond, treatment is generally much more successful. But failing to recognize the warning signs can mean the disease is only discovered once it has become harder to treat.
Here, the Daily Mail reveals the symptoms you should never ignore, who is most at risk and the steps you can take to reduce your chances of developing the disease.
Dustin Hoffman is pictured with his wife Lisa Hoffman in 2025. The actor announced this week that he was diagnosed with bladder cancer more than a decade ago
Bladder cancer is most common in men over age 65, with an average age at diagnosis of 73, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).
Non-Hispanic Caucasians are also diagnosed at roughly twice the rate of black and Hispanic individuals.
But recent research from the Cleveland Clinic suggests the disease may be on the rise in adults under 50, particularly young women.
It's unclear why women are being diagnosed more often, and older men still make up the vast majority of cases, but preliminary research suggests exposures like pollution and microplastics could be to blame.
The biggest risk factor in bladder cancer though, according to the ACS, is smoking.
The agency estimates smokers are at least three times more likely to get bladder cancer compared to those who don't, and smoking accounts for at least half of all cases.
Cigarette smoking involves inhaling more than 7,000 chemicals, including at least 70 carcinogens, which get absorbed through the lungs into the bloodstream. Those chemicals get filtered out by the kidneys and concentrated in urine, which sits in the bladder for hours at a time and can lead to cancer-causing DNA mutations.
ACS also cites exposure to industrial chemicals as the other major risk factor, particularly chemicals called aromatic amines, such as benzidine and beta-naphthylamine. These are used in the dye industry.
Industries carrying higher risk of exposure to these chemicals also include makers of rubber, leather, textiles and paint products, as well as printing companies.
Some studies have also suggested arsenic in drinking water and not drinking enough fluids overall may be linked to bladder cancer.
Blood in the urine, as well as changes to urination, are the major warning signs of bladder cancer
Blood in the urine, also called hematuria, is usually the first warning sign of bladder cancer, ACS says.
This may change urine color to orange, pink or, less commonly, dark red if there are significant amounts of blood present. The blood may also come and go.
But in early cases, small amounts of blood cannot be seen and are only detected in urine tests.
Blood occurs because bladder cancer tumors develop fragile, newly formed blood vessels that rupture easily, leaking blood into the bladder. Those vessels can also heal temporarily, causing blood to come and go.
ACS cautions that blood is most often not a sign of bladder cancer and may more commonly indicate an infection, a benign tumor or a kidney or bladder stone.
Another little-known cause is vigorous exercise – most commonly seen in long-distance runners and also after high-intensity interval training.
This occurs as intense physical activity can affect the way the kidneys filter the bloodstream, allowing red blood cells to mix with the urine.
However, any blood in the urine warrants going to the doctor.
Abbie Jarvis was diagnosed with stage three bladder cancer after suffering with symptoms for months but doctors assuming she just had overactive bladder
At 27, bladder cancer was the last diagnosis Abbie Jarvis imagined.
Abbie, from Cheshire in the UK, had visited her local emergency room three times in 2023 when she noticed she had to use the bathroom more often than normal. There was also blood in her urine.
But doctors repeatedly turned her away and said they had no idea what was plaguing her. Abbie said she ended up at her primary care doctor four times and the hospital three times with no answers.
'Especially with my age, I think they just think other things,' she said.
'But I don't think they would ever test me for cancer straight away, even though I had quite a lot of the symptoms.'
Abbie was eventually diagnosed with stage three bladder cancer, despite being at least 30 years younger than the typical…
