Every year, about 3000 people die of bladder cancer and its complications in Poland, but the disease is still rarely mentioned – lamented leading Polish specialists at the Friday press meeting in Warsaw.
“In Poland, we devote far too little attention to bladder cancer, yet it is one of the most dangerous known cancers. It very often results in metastasis to other organs, frequent relapses are also a problem. Too late detection is often associated with complete removal of the bladder, which significantly reduces the patients’ quality of life. In Poland, half of the diagnosed people still die as a result of this disease “- said Prof. Piotr Chłosta, president of the Polish Society of Urology.
Bladder cancer is the 5th most common cancer among men and 14th among women – said Prof. Flogging. It is diagnosed in 6000 Poles a year – 16 people learn about the disease every day. Unfortunately, often the disease is already advanced. Quality of life drops drastically, treatment is chronic and extremely difficult. People over 50 suffer most often, especially between 60 and 70. This does not mean that it cannot appear in young people – the president of the Wygrajmy Zdrowie Foundation – Szymon Chrostowski found metastatic bladder cancer 12 years ago, when he was 20 Fortunately, the disease was under control.
It is very important to know the main symptoms of cancer. This is hematuria (i.e. blood in the urine), frequent urination and a feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder. A particularly important symptom is haematuria, which may or may not be accompanied by pain. Recurrent or chronic haematuria is definitely an indication for a doctor’s appointment.
Since the bleeding may stop after some time, patients often ignore it – said Prof. Marek Sosnowski, national consultant in the field of urology. Unfortunately, even if they end up seeing a doctor, misdiagnoses – for example, cystitis – are often misdiagnosed. The doctor tries more antibiotics and the cancer grows and spreads. Time is of critical importance, experts emphasized.
Every man with painless hematuria should be referred to a general practitioner for cancer tests as soon as possible, and not treated with anti-inflammatory drugs. In turn, the patient should not delay the visit to the doctor, even if the hematuria subsides.
Some risk factors can be reduced. The risk of developing this cancer is almost three times higher in tobacco smokers. Bladder cancer is also favored by contact with chemicals used in the tanning, textile, metal and petrochemical industries. In addition to not smoking, it is recommended to maintain an optimal weight, exercise and a proper diet.
The main threats for patients with bladder cancer are the low pricing of diagnostic procedures and low contracts of urology departments. The improvement in the early detection of bladder cancer meant that in almost all European countries it was 21 percent. the mortality rate from bladder cancer has decreased in recent years – said prof. Sosnowski. Unfortunately, in our country it is different, it is even slightly higher than before.
You can test your own knowledge about bladder cancer by answering a few short questions in a short animation on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMCqNRkN-b0&feature=youtu.be
The situation of patients with bladder cancer was described in detail in the Bladder cancer – a forgotten cancer report, published in 2014 by the Winner Health Foundation.