Do you know what to look for?
It’s Bladder Cancer Awareness Month and The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre want to raise awareness of the cancer which is seen by many as “one for the males.”
However, 25% of the cases do arise in women, and The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre want to make women aware of the signs and symptoms to look for.
Dr Syed Hussain, a consultant at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre and University of Liverpool, spoke to Female First and told us everything we need to know about the disease.
Early Diagnosis
“There are 10,000 new cases of bladder cancer recorded every year in the UK, but one promising statistic is that eight out of ten patients are diagnosed with early stage cancer. This highlights the importance of understanding what to look out for as the earlier any cancer is diagnosed, the better the outlook for the patient.”
Blood in the Urine
“The most common symptom of bladder cancer is blood in the urine; this can happen suddenly and may come and go. Other symptoms can include a burning sensation when passing urine, or the need to use the toilet more often, and although all these symptoms can mean various other things, such as infections and kidney problems, it’s important for patients to get themselves checked out by their GP to ensure early diagnosis.”
No to Smoking
“Research has shown that smoking is the biggest cause of bladder cancer, with one in three cases attributed to the chemicals found in cigarettes. Chemicals that are inhaled through smoking are filtered by the kidneys and can end up in the urine, which damages cells in the bladder and over a long period of time, can cause cancer. Age is also an important factor, with most cases presenting themselves in adults over 50.”
Two Types of Bladder Cancer
“There are two main types of bladder cancer: non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, which is when the cancer is only present in the inner lining of the bladder, making it much easier to treat and achieve a cure. The other type is muscle invasive bladder cancer, when cancer is present in muscle layers of bladder. This is treated by surgical removal of the bladder or with organ preservation treatment with radiotherapy or concurrent chemoradiaotherapy. When the cancer has spread into the deeper walls of the bladder, this is also known as advanced bladder cancer. Once the cancer has spread outside of the bladder to other parts of the body then it is called metastatic bladder cancer. Disease can only be controlled and not cured in this setting, with chemotherapy treatment providing modest survival benefit.”
The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre is one of the largest, networked cancer centres in the country. From nine operating sites across Merseyside and Cheshire they are a leading provider of non-surgical oncology treatments including pioneering chemotherapy, radiotherapy and the UK’s only provider of proton therapy. In 2013/14 they made nearly 221,000 patient contacts to over 30,000 patients.
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