★ Urine color is a factor to consider when diagnosing bladder cancer.

“The symptom that made me see a doctor was a slight pinkish tint at the end of urination. I wasn’t sure what it could be because it wasn’t permanent,” explains Laurent G., a bladder cancer patient and predecessor of the Alliance Against Bladder Cancer in Spain (CANVES). According to the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), it is the fifth most common tumor in Spain and more than 22,000 new cases will be diagnosed this year (18,247 men and 3,850 women).

The incidence of bladder cancer in men is almost five times higher than in women. Cause? “There is no single factor that explains this difference. “It is likely that a combination of risk factors related to lifestyle, anatomical differences, and genetic and hormonal factors contributes to the higher incidence,” explains Dr. Enrique Grande, head of the medical oncology service at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Madrid, who confirms this. They, men, are less likely to go to consultations when faced with possible symptoms. “They tend to be more reluctant than women to check their health or seek medical advice for a variety of reasons, such as lack of awareness of the importance of preventative health care, fear of being diagnosed with serious illnesses, cultural beliefs about masculinity and weakness, denial or minimization of symptoms, or lack of time or other priorities.”

A cancer that is still little known and has “non-exclusive” symptoms According to Merck’s 2023 study Bladder Cancer in Spain: Knowledge and Perception of the Disease, almost half of Spaniards (46%) have never heard of the disease and 90% do not know how to identify its causes. , main symptoms.

For this reason, as Marisa García-Vaquero, director of market access, public relations and policy at Merck in Spain, explains, “Initiatives aimed at making visible serious diseases such as bladder cancer are key to promoting early diagnosis. If we get the public to know and identify their symptoms, we will save time, which will lead to an improved quality of life for patients and their immediate communities.”

The most common warning sign is hematuria (urine in the blood), which is not always obvious and can go unnoticed: “Without experiencing any physical pain or other symptoms, my first thought was something mild, effort or small kidney stones,” explains He. Laurent. That doesn’t make it any less important: “If someone experiences hematuria or other urinary symptoms, it is important to seek medical attention for proper diagnosis and early treatment,” reminds Dr. Grande.

Moreover, it is not always present and is not exclusive to bladder cancer: “It may be associated with urinary tract infections, renal lithiasis (kidney stones), kidney disease, trauma… The presence of hematuria in these conditions can make treatment difficult. to early diagnosis, since symptoms can be confused with symptoms of other diseases,” notes the oncologist. Bladder cancer is also known to cause urinary incontinence, frequent urination, abdominal, lower back or pelvic discomfort, frequent urinary tract infections and/or unexplained weight loss.

Awareness saves lives

To mark World Bladder Cancer Awareness Month and World Bladder Cancer Day, which is celebrated every 5 May, science and technology company Merck is launching the “The Color of Your Urine Matters” campaign to raise awareness of the disease and its key symptoms. hematuria. As part of this initiative, and among other efforts, Dr. Grande participated in a video called “Introducing Man Piss” to highlight the importance of seeking medical attention if unexpected colors are found in urine.

According to Laurent J., in addition to living with this disease and contributing to the first association of patients with bladder cancer in Spain, “people do not know that this tumor exists. We know about breast cancer, skin cancer and even prostate cancer, but bladder cancer remains unknown… I did not hide it from anyone, from family, friends, close friends or work colleagues, I explained to everyone, as I understood, thinking , that my Experience can help someone or a friend of a friend to encourage them to contact medical professionals at the slightest symptoms.”

REFERENCES:

1 SEOM Report: Cancer Rates in 2024https://www.seom.org/images/LAS_CIFRAS_2024.pdf

2 Bladder cancer in Spain: knowledge and perception of the disease, 2023. https://www.merckgroup.com/es-es/news/causas-del-cancer-de-bladder.html

3 Mayo Clinic. 2019, Bladder cancer. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bladder-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20356104

4. Fight bladder cancer. 2020. Signs and symptoms https://www.fightbladdercancer.co.uk/get-help/signs-and-symptoms.

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