Hemorrhagic Cystitis
Bleeding inflammation of the bladder urothelium — classically acrolein injury from the oxazaphosphorines (prevented by mesna), but also reported as immune-related, intravesical-chemical, or radiation-recall injury.
Where it strikes
Urine storage (outflow, not a nephron segment)
Agents’ overall severity
Each agent’s whole-drug severity grade, not the severity of this lesion specifically — an agent whose signature injury is elsewhere can still be graded severe here.
Agents’ overall reversibility
Agents’ onset window
How soon each agent’s kidney toxicity typically appears — a whole-drug tempo, not specific to this lesion.
Real-world reporting for this lesion
FAERS across all lesions →Agents with a disproportionate FAERS reporting signal for hemorrhagic cystitis (reporting odds ratio with a 95% CI lower bound above 1) — a spontaneous-reporting signal, not incidence or proven causation. FAERS carries reporting and indication biases and has no denominator.
Documented in the atlas profile and carrying a FAERS signal — the strongest claim the atlas makes.
Documented in a profile with no reporting signal. Mostly expected: naming this lesion on a report can require a biopsy, and silence is not evidence against the literature.
A real reporting signal that is not evidence for this drug-lesion pair: no MedDRA term names it, the naming subset asked alone came back flat, or the 2026-08 review attributed the reporting to the population, co-therapy, or class-level literature.
The terms that name this lesion are disproportionate, but no profile documents it for that agent. Most are echoed by a sibling agent in the same class. Leads for review, never lesions the atlas claims.
80 agents with a significant CYST reporting signal.
Management approach
Full framework →Prevent with mesna and hydration; this is an outflow (bladder) toxicity, not nephron injury.
Drug-level levers
- Hold further dosing for significant hemorrhagic cystitis.
- Co-administer mesna with ifosfamide and high-dose cyclophosphamide.
Pharmacologic toolkit
- Mesna — Binds acrolein in the urine; standard prophylaxis with the oxazaphosphorines.
- Hydration / bladder irrigation — Forced diuresis; continuous bladder irrigation for established hemorrhagic cystitis.
When to biopsy
Not a kidney-biopsy lesion; cystoscopy for severe or refractory bladder bleeding.
Monitoring
- · Urinalysis for hematuria
- · Symptoms of cystitis
Educational use only. Educational synthesis of the published literature — not a treatment protocol, dosing guide, or medical advice. Regimens and agents shown are illustrative of what the literature describes; verify against current guidelines (ASON / KDIGO / ASCO / NCCN) and individualize to the patient. Using this site creates no clinician–patient relationship.
Offending agents
Signature offenders
1Agents for which hemorrhagic cystitis is the defining renal lesion.
Also associated
14Agents that cause hemorrhagic cystitis as a secondary pattern alongside a different signature lesion.