Look Before You Flush to Spot Bladder and Kidney Cancer Early!

Blood in urine is a key symptom of bladder and kidney cancer and early diagnosis increases the chances of survival.

Public Health England urges people to be vigilant about a prominent symptom of bladder and kidney cancer, ‘Blood in Urine’ through a campaign titled ‘Be Clear on Cancer’.

In England, around 17,450 people are diagnosed with bladder or kidney cancer every year. But through campaigns like this, they were able to save 70 deaths from bladder cancer and 25 deaths from kidney cancer.

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‘Public Health England’s ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaign aims to raise awareness of a key symptom for both bladder and kidney cancers – blood in urine.’

After a similar campaign conducted in 2013, the number of GP visits for reporting blood in urine rose to 18%. It also increased the urgent GP referrals for suspected cancers from 8.2% to 22%, respectively.

The campaign targets men and women in the age group of 50 years as they have an increased risk of developing bladder and kidney cancers.

This year the campaign also promotes a message “Look before you Flush” as women are less likely to spot the symptom compared to men. Early diagnosis of these cancers can increase the survival rates.

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Doctor Jenny Harries, Regional Director for South of England, Public Health England said, "We know that people don’t always immediately visit their doctor if they spot blood in pee, which can be for a number of reasons – some might ignore the symptoms, especially if it only happens once, or may pass the symptom off as cystitis. If you do notice blood in your pee, don’t wait for it to happen again before getting it checked out, visit your GP straight away."

Source-Medindia

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