An 83-year-old bladder cancer survivor is urging Eastern Cheshire residents to look out for warning signs after overcoming the disease himself.
Derek Brown, from Wilmslow, has lent his backing to the Be Clear On Cancer campaign, which is currently raising awareness of blood in pee as a key symptom of both bladder and kidney cancers.
NHS Eastern Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which plans and buys much of the area's healthcare services, has also thrown its weight behind the campaign, having made the early detection and treatment of cancer one of its key priorities for 2016.
Derek first noticed blood in his urine while on holiday in St Davids, Pembrokeshire, in July 2014, and saw his GP immediately upon his return home.
After being referred to a specialist at Macclesfield District General Hospital, he was told that he had a cancerous growth on his bladder.
"The doctor said to me, 'the bad news is it's cancer, but the good news is we've caught it very early so you'll be seeing me for a long time', so I was reassured immediately," said the former accountant.
His cancerous growth was removed within six weeks and he was then treated with a course of the BCG vaccine – which is traditionally used to prevent tuberculosis (TB), but is also an effective treatment for some non-invasive bladder cancers.
Derek, who has lived in the same house on Altrincham Road with his wife Mary for 56 years, is now required to go for check-ups at Macclesfield's Macmillan Cancer Resource Centre every three months and said the only discomfort he feels is having to go to the toilet slightly more often than before.
"A lot of fellas are put off going for treatment due to embarrassment, but they've really got no need to be, because the Macmillan nurses are fantastic and they've seen it all before," said Derek.
"Catching it early is the answer. I'd say the very first time you notice blood in your urine, go to the doctor, because they can nip it in the bud."
Public Health England research has shown that for those diagnosed at the earliest stage (stage 1), the likelihood of surviving five years or more can be as high as 84 per cent for kidney cancer, and 77 per cent for bladder cancer.
However, for those diagnosed at the final stage (stage 4), survival is as low as 10 per cent for kidney cancer and nine per cent for bladder cancer.
Tracey Wright, the CCG's service delivery manager with responsibility for cancer, said: "Early detection of cancer is one of the CCG's key projects, as a timely diagnosis is proven to reduce premature death from cancer.
"Local participation in health campaigns such as Be Clear On Cancer is crucial to this, so it's great to see Derek sharing his personal experience to highlight the importance of going to your GP if you experience something like blood in your pee.
"As a CCG we're doing lots of things to ensure cancer is diagnosed earlier – such as developing a five-year cancer strategy for Eastern Cheshire, funding education on early detection for our GP practices and working to improve participation in cancer screening programmes– but our residents really are the best weapon we have in fighting this terrible disease.
"So if you spot blood in your pee, even if it's just the once, tell your doctor."
Photo: Derek and Mary Brown.
