Specialist cautions Nigerians to report blood in urine to experts

Anthony, who gave the advice while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja, said that blood in urine might or might not be accompanied by pain.

According to her, bladder is a hollow organ that collects urine from the kidneys through the ureters for storage and eventual removal from the body through the urethra.

According to Anthony, bladder cancer is an abnormal growth of bladder cells common among men and women, adding that men had higher risk of having the disease than women.

The medical practitioner said that painful blood in the urine could be caused by a number of disorders, including infections and stones in the urinary tract.

Anthony said that painless blood in the urine could also be due to many causes, including cancer, adding that blood in the urine could also be referred to as hematuria.

“The most common symptom of bladder cancer is bleeding in the urine, while cigarette smoking is the most significant risk factor with smokers having three to four times more likely to get the disease than non-smokers.

“The initial treatment for bladder cancer is transurethral resection of the bladder tumour (TURBT), which removes the tumour from the bladder through the urethra and provides information on stage and grade of the tumour.

“Bladder cancer is staged and graded on how abnormal or aggressive cells appear under the microscope, to determine treatment and estimate prognosis for individual patients,’’ she said.

Anthony said that radical cystectomy provides the best chances of cure in patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer.

She also said the prognosis of bladder cancer ranged from good to poor, depending on the stage and grade of the cancer.

Anthony said that people might reduce the risk of bladder cancer by not smoking and avoiding environmental carcinogens (Several environmental factors that often present serious risks for human health).