Haematuria, or blood in the urine, is the most common symptom of bladder cancer.
3 4 out of 5 people with bladder cancer have some blood in their urine
4, however:
- 80-90% patients with gross haematuria do NOT have cancer3
- And over 95% of patients with microhaematuria do NOT have cancer5
There are many common causes of haematuria; including urinary tract infection, nephrolithiasis (stones), polycystic kidney disease, trauma, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in older men, or, in some cases, even vigorous exercise.
The proportion of patients presenting with haematuria whom actually do have bladder cancer is very small.
Therefore it can be difficult for doctors to decide who may have cancer and who might have a different condition.
In US clinical practice, only 13%-30% of all patients with hematuria are sent to the urologists for cystoscopy; because of this, it is estimated that there are over 20,000 missed cancer cases annually in the US
6 It is extremely important to identify cancer patients early for the reasons identified above.