Public Health England (PHE) has launched a new ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaign in the South West to highlight blood in pee as a key symptom of bladder and kidney cancers.
The campaign will encourage everyone to ‘look before they flush’ and visit their GP without delay if they notice blood in their pee, even if it’s just once.
A new survey reveals that only 16 per cent of adults aged 50 and over (those most at risk of these cancers) in the South West say they check the colour of their pee every time they go to the toilet. If people don’t look before they flush, they may not notice blood in their pee.
A new short film featuring TV doctor Dr Dawn Harper is being released as part of the campaign. The film shows what to look out for as the colour of blood in your pee can vary – from very diluted, to bright red or even dark brown, like the colour of weak black tea. Blood in pee is a symptom in almost two-thirds of all bladder cancers and around a fifth of kidney cancers.
Blood might not appear every time, so it is important that people seek medical help even if they notice it just once.