Sep 25, 20182 min read

Looking before you flush could save your life - Beat the cancer!

Updated: Mar 27, 2020

Did you know that blood in your pee could be a sign of cancer?

If you are aged 50+ you could be at risk of bladder and kidney cancers and you might be aware of the "Be Clear on Cancer" campaign.

Be Clear on Cancer 'Blood in pee' campaign calls for people to “tell their doctor” if they notice blood in their pee even if it's just once, and the key message of the campaign is "If you notice blood in your pee, even if it’s just the once, tell your doctor" and "Look before your flush".

If you notice blood in your pee tell your doctor. You won’t be wasting their time and an early diagnosis could save your life as they make cancer more treatable.

This is absolutely essential as latest figures show that every year in England around 19,100 people are diagnosed with bladder or kidney cancer and around 8,000 people die from these diseases. However 84% of those diagnosed with kidney cancer and 77% of those diagnosed with bladder cancer at the earliest stage (stage 1) will live for at least five years. At a late stage (stage 4), this drops to 10% and 9% respectively.

Both cancers affect men and women, although they are more common in men.

FACTORS THAT INCREASE THE RISK OF BLADDER AND/OR KIDNEY CANCER INCLUDE:

Smoking
Being overweight or obese
Some jobs, because of exposure to certain chemicals
Other medical conditions, such as kidney failure
A family history of cancer

Download Easy Read PDF Leaflet

KEY SYMPTOMS:

Blood in pee
Cystitis (a urinary tract infection) that is difficult to treat or comes back quickly after treatment
Pain when peeing
A pain that doesn’t go away, either in the tummy or in the side, below the ribs
Weight loss

~ REMEMBER: SEEING YOUR DOCTOR EARLY COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE ~

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO GIVE YOU THE BEST CHANCE OF NOT GETTING CANCER:

Stop smoking
Keep active. Try swimming, cycling, dancing, walking...
Eat well
Cut down on drinking alcohol
More info: www.nhs.uk/reduce-your-risk

HOW CAN YOU HELP TO COMMUNICATE THIS MESSAGE?

Using the posters and campaign leaflets below. Click to download.*
Using the campaign hashtag: #BeClearonCancer
You can also find BSL versions of the leaflet on YouTube:

Thanks in advance for your help communicating these important messages. It is critical we get these messages across that early diagnosis is essential.