May is Bladder Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to raise awareness of bladder cancer and its symptoms to encourage early diagnosis and treatment. Around 10,500 people are diagnosed with bladder cancer in the UK each year, and 610,000+ are diagnosed globally. It is the 11th most common cancer in the UK and the 7th most common in men.
Bladder cancer usually takes a while to develop, so it is most common in older people and is more common in men. Around 60 out of 100 new cases of bladder cancer are in people aged 75 and over. When caught early, bladder cancer is highly treatable, which is why it’s so important to achieve an early diagnosis.
What is bladder cancer?
Bladder cancer is cancer that occurs in any part of the bladder. There are different types of bladder cancer depending on where in the bladder the cancer started. Doctors will usually describe your bladder cancer based on how far it has spread into the bladder wall. You can either have non-muscle invasive bladder cancer or muscle-invasive bladder cancer.
The bladder is a hollow organ in the body that is part of the urinary tract system, which filters waste products out of your blood and produces urine. The seriousness of bladder cancer depends on how big the cancer is and how far it has spread.
Symptoms of bladder cancer
The main symptom of bladder cancer is blood in your urine, but there are some other symptoms which can occur. The most common symptoms of bladder cancer include:
- Blood in the urine
- Pain, stinging, or itching during urination
- Irregular urination, such as needing to pee very suddenly or more often than usual
- Developing a lot of urinary tract infections
- Pain in your back or abdomen
- Loss of appetite or losing weight without trying to
- Aching, pain or tenderness in your bones
- Feeling very tired for no reason
If you ever see blood in your pee, you should get an emergency GP appointment as soon as possible, even if you have no other symptoms. If you do develop any of the above symptoms, it’s important to get checked by your GP. Some of these symptoms are very common and may not be caused by bladder cancer, but it’s important to get checked out anyway. The earlier your cancer is caught, the easier it is to treat and the higher the chance of successful treatment.
Bladder cancer diagnosis
One of the biggest obstacles to bladder cancer diagnosis is symptom recognition. Often, people mistake the symptoms of bladder cancer for something else, which leads to a delayed diagnosis. This year’s Bladder Cancer Awareness Month campaign focuses on ‘Challenging Uncertainty’, encouraging people to take their symptoms seriously and seek medical advice right away.
The first step in getting a bladder cancer diagnosis is to make an appointment with your GP if you notice any symptoms or changes that aren’t normal for you. Your GP may take a urine sample, conduct blood tests and do an internal examination to check if everything feels normal.
Your GP may refer you to a urologist if they think you have bladder cancer, and they’ll conduct tests to check for cancer. The main test for bladder cancer is a cystoscopy, which involves getting a small camera on a tube passed through your urethra to see inside your bladder. During the cystoscopy, they may take a small sample of the lining of your bladder, called a biopsy, to test for cancer cells.
Treatment for bladder cancer
Bladder cancer can usually be treated, but the treatment you receive depends on the type of cancer you have, the size of cancer, where it is located, if it has spread, and your general health.
Most people are offered surgery to treat bladder cancer, but you may also receive chemotherapy, radiotherapy or targeted drug therapies. Your specialist treatment team will develop a treatment plan that best suits you.
At Clatterbridge Private Clinic, we have a team of leading consultants who specialise in treating all kinds of cancer, including bladder cancer. They will develop a tailored treatment plan based on your condition and your needs and work with a multidisciplinary team to deliver exceptional cancer care throughout your entire journey with us.
We can also offer our patients access to groundbreaking treatments that are not routinely available on the NHS, so you have a much wider choice of treatment options.
Bladder cancer treatment at the Clatterbridge Private Clinic
If you have received a bladder cancer diagnosis and would like to learn more about bladder cancer treatment at the Clatterbridge Private Clinic, get in touch with our team today. All our consultants stay up-to-date with the latest research and innovations in cancer treatment, so we can offer our patients fast access to the latest treatment technologies.
When you come to Clatterbridge Private Clinic, you receive one-to-one care in our state-of-the-art clinic, which has been purpose-built to provide patients with exceptional care in a relaxing atmosphere. Our clinics are designed to make you feel at ease during your treatment, unlike typical hospital settings, they have a more relaxed and welcoming feel. Our friendly staff are also always on hand to help, provide a listening ear and deliver our leading cancer care.
We also have a private patient liaison team who are here to help you whenever you need them, from answering general enquiries and arranging travel to and from the clinic to organising payments directly with insurers so you don’t have to worry. We do everything we can to ensure your journey with us is as stress-free and positive as possible.
If you have recently received a bladder cancer diagnosis and would like to speak to someone about treatment at the Clatterbridge Private Clinic, you can arrange a call with one of our senior nurses to discuss your diagnosis and treatment options and find out more about care at the private clinic. Call us today on 0151 318 8569 or email grace.walker11@nhs.net.