Blood in your wee: Lives at risk by not looking for an important sign of bladder and kidney cancer

Be Clear on Cancer

A new survey shows that just 15% of North West adults aged 50 and over check their wee when they go to the toilet, meaning they might not notice blood – a key symptom of bladder and kidney cancer.

Public Health England’s (PHE) new ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaign encourages everyone to ‘look before they flush’ and visit their GP without delay if they notice blood in their wee, even if it’s just once.

A new short film featuring TV doctor, Dr Dawn Harper, is being released as part of the campaign. The film shows what to look out for as the colour of blood in your wee can vary – from very diluted, to bright red or even dark brown, like the colour of weak black tea. Blood in wee is a symptom in almost two thirds (64%) of all bladder cancers and around a fifth (18%) of kidney cancers.

Blood might not appear every time, so it is important that people seek medical help even if they notice it just once. Worryingly, nearly half (around 46%) of those surveyed in the North West said they would not seek medical advice if they saw blood in their pee just once, and  two out of five (43%) of those surveyed said they would wait and see if it happened again, potentially putting off a vital diagnosis.

When asked why they would not go to the GP straight away if they noticed blood in their wee, some concerning delays for seeking help were uncovered; one in five adults (19%) in the North West say they would be worried about wasting the GP’s time and a similar number (19%) would only book an appointment sooner if they had other symptoms.

Latest figures show that every year in the North West, around 1,777 people are diagnosed with bladder or kidney cancer and sadly, around 723 people die from these diseases.

Early diagnosis is critical; four out of five adults (84%) diagnosed with kidney cancer and three quarters (77%) of those diagnosed with bladder cancer at the earliest stage (stage one) will live for at least five years. At a late stage (stage four), this drops to around only one in 10 people (10% and 9% respectively).

Dr Rebecca Wagstaff, Deputy Director Health and Wellbeing at Public Health England North West, said: “The earlier people are diagnosed, the better their chances, which is why it’s vital people understand what to look out for and when to visit the GP.

“This campaign has the important aim of helping raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of bladder and kidney cancer and encouraging people to visit their GP after seeing blood in their wee.”