Stages, types and grades of bladder cancer

The tests and scans you have to diagnose bladder cancer give information about:

  • the type of cell the cancer started in and where it began (type of cancer)
  • how abnormal the cells look under the microscope (the grade)
  • the size of the cancer and whether it has spread (the stage)

In the UK, doctors use the TNM system and number system to stage bladder cancer.  Another way doctors may describe your cancer is:

  • non muscle invasive bladder cancer - the cancer is only in the lining or the connective tissue beneath the bladder lining
  • muscle invasive bladder cancer - the cancer has grown into a deeper (muscle) layer of the bladder, or beyond 

Stages of bladder cancer

There are different ways to stage bladder cancer. Your doctor might use the TNM system or number stages.

Types of bladder cancer

The type of bladder cancer tells you which type of cell the cancer started in. The most common type is transitional cell bladder (urothelial) cancer.

Grades of bladder cancer

Cancer cells are split into grades depending on what they look like under the microscope. The grade gives doctors an idea of how the cancer might behave.

Non muscle invasive bladder cancer staging

In non muscle invasive bladder cancer, the cancer cells are only in the inner lining of the bladder. 

Muscle invasive bladder cancer staging

Muscle invasive bladder cancer means the cancer has spread into or through the muscle layer of the bladder. 

Last reviewed: 
21 Sep 2022
Next review due: 
21 Sep 2025