They shared about the ‘red flag’ w.arning signs before being diagnosed with the disease
Bladder c.ance.r survivors have opened up the ‘most common’ symptom they all experienced before eventually receiving their diagnosis.
As per Cancer Research, there are around 10,500 new bladder cancer cases in the UK every year – a figure which works out to be 29 every single day.
It’s also the 11th most common cancer in the UK, accounting for three percent of all new cancer cases and, for women, it’s the 17th most common cancer, whilst for men it’s the 7th.
Now, though a person’s risk of developing cancer depends on many factors – including age, genetics, and exposure to risk factors (including some potentially avoidable lifestyle factors) – as many as 49 percent of bladder cancer cases in the UK are preventable.
So, it’s crucial to be in the know about the symptoms of such a disease so you can be sure to seek medical help if you notice any warning signs.
The most common symptom of bladder ca.n.cer
The NHS outlines that the main symptom of bladder ca.nc.er is blood in your urine – something which survivors have spoken out about to w.a.rn others to take such a symptom seriously should they experience it themselves too.
Back in 2018, the likes of Arthur Hamberger, M.D., saw some blood in his urine, describing the colour as ‘the slightest shade of pink you can imagine’.
The symptom itself only happened once but, as a doctor and three-time ca.nc.er survivor, he knew not to ignore it and soon contacted a urologist and underwent a CT urogram, which is a scan of the urinary tract to check for disease.
“It showed I had a fairly large tumour in my bladder and a mass in my pancreas,” Arthur, who was 73 at the time of his bladder cancer diagnosis, recalled to MD Anderson Cancer Center.
It’s a good thing that Arthur, who is now a six-time cancer survivor, didn’t ignore that early symptom of bladder cancer, as his doctor was able to remove his tumour while keeping his bladder intact. Additionally, he also had surgery to remove the pancreatic ca.nc.er.
‘It was just a little blood’
