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How to spot the signs of bladder cancer and what to do next

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Bladder Cancer

A little guide for you this Bladder Cancer Awareness Month, from The Urology Foundation.

In the UK, there are over 10,000 new cases of bladder cancer diagnosed every year and nearly 5,000 people die from the disease each year. It affects men more than women, meaning that it is the fourth most common cancer in men and 12th most common in women.

How to know if you might have bladder cancer

Below are some signs that could indicate bladder cancer.

  • Blood in your urine: this is the most common symptom of bladder cancer. It won’t necessarily happen every time you pee and can sometimes disappear for weeks or months. You should look out for pee that looks anywhere from rusty to deep red.
  • Pain or burning when peeing: don’t panic if this happens to you quite rarely; it could just be because you haven’t drunk enough and your urine hasn’t been diluted enough. However, if this is a regular problem for you, that’s when you have cause for concern.
  • An increased need to urinate: if you find yourself going to the bathroom a lot more than you used to, this could be another indication of bladder cancer
  • Feeling the need to pee, but without anything coming through: another indication would be that you desperately need to use the toilet, but when you go, nothing happens

Each of these symptoms could indicate bladder cancer, but please don’t panic, as these could also be symptoms for a variety of other medical conditions.

What you should do next 

Because these symptoms could mean a variety of problems, it’s important that you don’t perform a self-diagnosis. Your next step should be to see your GP.

Your GP will conduct a variety of tests that could include a urine test, a blood test, and a physical examination of your stomach and your pelvis (this might include the vagina in women, and the rectum in men).

Your GP will use these results to decide whether you should be referred to a urologist, where you’ll be able to get the treatment you need.

If you’d like to read more about bladder cancer, take a look at our Bladder Cancer page.

If you’d like to keep in touch with The Urology Foundation about urology health, you can do that right here.

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The next fundraising challenge for SIX TIMES OPEN

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Three Peaks Challenge
SIX TIMES OPEN, a fundraising campaign led by fraternal twins, Jonathan and David Stretton-Downes, have been working hard to reach their goal of raising £100,000 in one year for the British Heart Foundation’s research into heart disease. They have taken on some weird and wacky challenges, but their latest challenge is guaranteed to blow the rest out of the water.

On April 7th, a select group of SIX TIMES OPEN challengers will be taking part in the Three Peaks Challenge – which will see them climbing the 3 highest peaks in Wales, Scotland and England, in under 24 hours. The challenger group is made up on men and women who have a personal connection to heart disease. If that wasn’t enough, they will also be getting their heads shaved at the highest point on Ben Nevis, a hair-raising 4412ft high.

Their hair-brained scheme is being supported by award winning hairdressers, Jones and Payne, who will be joining the SIX TIMES OPEN challengers on their trek up Ben Nevis.

The SIX TIMES OPEN campaign began in November 2016, while Jonathan was awaiting his sixth heart surgery. Since then, the brothers have raised a staggering £25,000 for the British Heart Foundation, which has gone into lifesaving research on heart disease.

The team are aiming to raise a further £3,000 in donations, taking their fundraising efforts to around £30,000. This isn’t all SIX TIMES OPEN has planned in, you can take a look at further fundraising events below:

6-7th April 2018 – 3 Peaks Challenge
18th May 2018 – The TICKER BALL – SAVOY
20th May 2018 – The TENPAST Challenge Cup – Charity Football Match at the Stadium of Light

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Next stage of world-leading childhood obesity plan announced

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Publich Health England (PHE) are now considering the evidence on children’s calorie consumption and are setting the ambition for the calorie reduction programme to remove excess calories from the foods children consume the most. These foods include pizzas, burgers, ready meals and savoury snacks and sandwiches.

Over the past year or so, there has been progress around reducing the level of sugar in many products.

The Soft Drinks Industry Levy has become law, coming into effect in April 2018 and PHE has formulated a comprehensive sugar reduction programme with the aim of a 20% reduction in sugar in key foods by 2020. Leading retailers and manufacturers have also announced they are, or already have, lowered the amount of sugar in their products as a result of these programmes.

Adults currently consume on average between 200 to 300 calories too many each day and children are following suit which is concerning. Reducing calorie consumption from sources other than sugar is critical to reversing the worrying obesity trend.

  • 1 in 3 children are either overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school
  • more children in the UK than previously are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, some as young as 7
  • children from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to be obes

Philip Dunne, Minister of State for Health said:

“Too many of our children are growing up obese, which can lead to serious health complications. We all have a responsibility to help people live healthier lives, but with a third of children leaving primary school obese we must take a comprehensive approach and now focus on excess calories.

This can only be done through strong guidance, grounded in evidence – that’s why we have funded a new £5 million dedicated Obesity Research Policy Unit to understand the deeper causes of obesity.”

Duncan Selbie, chief executive of PHE, said:

“A third of children leave primary school overweight or obese and an excess of calories – not just excess sugar consumption – is the root cause of this.

We will work with the food companies and retailers to tackle this as the next critical step in combating our childhood obesity problem.”

Evidence will be published by PHE early in 2018. It will then consult with the food industry, trade bodies and health non-governmental organisations to develop guidance and timelines for the calorie reduction programme.

The Department of Health has also funded the £5 million National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Obesity Research Policy Unit at University College London (UCL), which will look to develop a deeper understanding on the causes of childhood obesity, including marketing to children and families, social inequalities, and the early years of childhood.

Professor Russell Viner, Policy Research Unit Director and Professor of Adolescent Health, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, said:

“Obesity is one of the greatest health concerns of our time and we welcome this considerable and very timely investment from the government. We are delighted that the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health will host the new Obesity Policy Research Unit (OPRU). Preventing obesity in early life is key to turning the tide on this modern epidemic.”

 

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