A new public health campaign has been launched, urging people to see a doctor if the see visible blood in their urine.
Although in most cases, blood in the urine will turn out not to be serious, it can be a sign of bladder or kidney cancer and in a recent survey only about a third of people questioned, new that this could be a sign of cancer.
The reason for the campaign is that cases of kidney cancer has risen by a third in the past 10 years in England and the death toll has increased by 7%, with around 3500 deaths in 2011.
The rise is likely to be related to a rise in unhealthy lifestyles, with smoking and obesity, known risk factors .
However, early diagnosis would cut death rates. If diagnosed early the one year survival rate for kidney cancer is almost 97%, compared to 32% if diagnosed late
So if you see blood in your wee, tell your doctor. Better safe than sorry
