But even a drop of blood is an alarm signal. Don’t underestimate the problem

The color of your urine can be an important indicator of your health. By observing the changing color, you can detect that a serious disease is developing in the body. A particularly alarming signal is red-colored urine – even if it concerns only one or a few drops of blood that got into it. This color may indicate bladder cancer.

1. The blood that appears in the urine should always raise our vigilance, because it means the risk of a serious disease. One whose prognosis is better the sooner it is diagnosed. It’s like the bladder
2. – Do not underestimate the hematuria, even if it has passed! – appeals oncologist Dr. Iwona Skoneczna from the Grochowski Hospital. Rafał Masztak, MD, PhD
3. May is bladder cancer awareness month
4. More current information can be found on the Onet homepage.

When you see the first blood, see your doctor. It is very important

The first drop of blood noticed in the urine should be an alarm signal, after which we should immediately consult a doctor. This could be the first symptom of a developing bladder cancer! But if bladder cancer is diagnosed early, the chances of survival and complete recovery are over 90 percent!

– That is why it is so important to be aware of the symptoms of this disease and to react quickly – immediately contact a doctor, perform diagnostic tests and start treatment. However, it is very disadvantageous to postpone the visit to the doctor from the moment of noticing blood in the urine. This symptom is embarrassing for many people, and shame is the main reason for postponing consultation with a doctor. At the same time, the cancer is developing and the prognosis is getting worse – says Krystyna Wechmann, president of the Polish Coalition of Cancer Patients, which runs the educational campaign BLADDER CANCER – DETECT AND TREAT !. – In May – the month of bladder cancer awareness – we want to break the barrier of shame and we appeal: Do not be shy – act! Don’t turn red – go to the doctor!

According to the data of the World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition (WBCPC), this cancer is diagnosed every year in over 570. people in the world, and 1,7 million people live with this disease. It is the 10th most common cancer disease and the 13th leading cause of death from cancer. In Poland, according to data from the National Cancer Registry, about 8 people develop bladder cancer each year. people, and about 4 thousand. patients die because of this. It is therefore a significant problem and a major public health challenge. But these statistics don’t have to be so dramatic – bladder cancer can be prevented, diagnosed earlier and treated more effectively.

Causes of bladder cancer

It is estimated that as many as half of bladder cancer cases are caused by smoking. Another one-third is the result of occupational exposure to various harmful chemicals. This means you can significantly reduce your risk of developing bladder cancer – by not smoking and by avoiding exposure to toxic chemicals. In addition, risk factors for bladder cancer include chronic inflammatory processes in the bladder, exposure to certain drugs, including drugs used in clinical oncology, and prior radiotherapy to the pelvic area. This in turn means that patients who are treated for prostate or rectal cancer should have regular check-ups for bladder cancer.

– The most common first symptom of bladder cancer is painless haematuria. The appearance of blood in the urine is an alarm signal that cannot be ignored, in such a case a thorough oncological diagnosis should always be performed – he said prof. dr hab. n. med. Jakub Kucharz from the Clinic of Tumors of the Urinary System of the National Oncology Institute M. Skłodowskiej Curie – National Research Institute in Warsaw, during the conference “Before it’s too late – prophylaxis and modern diagnostics as a prerequisite for effective therapy”, which took place on April 20, 2022.

– Haematuria appears as red or pink urine. Even a single drop of blood in the urine may be a symptom of developing bladder or urinary tract cancer. Therefore, just as quickly as we sprinkle salt on the tablecloth when even a drop of red wine is poured on it, let us go to the doctor when we notice a drop of blood in the urine. Let us not underestimate the hematuria, even if it has passed! Washing the tablecloth from the wine stain solves the problem, but in the case of blood in the urine, the only solution is to visit the doctor – adds Dr. Iwona Skoneczna from the Grochowski Hospital. Dr. Rafał Masztaka in Warsaw, an oncologist specializing in urological neoplasms. Other symptoms that may indicate bladder cancer include day or night pollakiuria; discomfort when urinating, such as stinging or burning sensation; pain in the lower abdomen; urinary retention; or symptoms of renal colic.

Bladder cancer – treatment and prognosis

Experts divide bladder tumors into two groups: tumors that do not infiltrate the bladder muscle (i.e. those that are on the surface of the bladder) and tumors that infiltrate the muscle membrane (i.e. those that grow deeper into the bladder). The method of treatment and prognosis depends on which type of cancer we are dealing with.

– The prognosis is good for non-muscle-infiltrating bladder cancers. The basic treatment is electroresection, which is a procedure to remove the tumor from the bladder, sometimes combined with treatment with intravesical infusions, if the doctor judges that the risk of recurrence of the disease is high. Urologists deal with the treatment of cancers that do not infiltrate the muscles of the bladder. The situation is completely different in the case of muscular infiltrating neoplasms, as it is a disease with a much greater potential for malignancy and a greater potential for the formation of distant metastases. In this case, the operation of removing the bladder along with the adjacent organs should be performed, i.e. in men together with the prostate and in women with part of the reproductive organ. This operation, called a radical cystectomy, is a large, crippling operation that requires a urostomy. After the surgery, it is not possible to pass urine naturally, but it flows into a special bag glued to the skin. Unfortunately, cancer that grows into the bladder wall also tends to grow into blood vessels, which means it can metastasize quite easily. Therefore, before or after cystectomy surgery, the patient should receive perioperative chemotherapy or immunotherapy. It is a treatment aimed at eliminating micrometastases and thus improving patients’ long-term prognosis – said Prof. Jakub Kucharz.

What if the bladder cancer has not been diagnosed or has progressed to a metastatic stage? Such patients receive treatment with chemotherapy, the type of which depends on the general condition of the patient, his fitness, renal function and the presence of comorbidities. There are also treatment options for patients who are not eligible for chemotherapy.

We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we devote it to the diet. Do you have to stick to it 100% to stay healthy and feel good? Do you really have to start every day with breakfast? What is it like with sipping meals and eating fruit? Listen: