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UK launch of Bladder Cancer Awareness Day on our doorstep!
Written by Communications Team   

Consultant Surgeons at Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals NHS Trust who specialise in treating patients with bladder cancer are launching what is thought to be the first BLADDER CANCER AWARENESS DAY in the UK on Wednesday, March 11.
Consultant Urological Surgeons Mr Robin Cole and Mr Ravi Kulkarni want to draw attention to the little-publicised fact that bladder cancer as a result of smoking can be a killer.
 


Consultant Urological Surgeons Mr Ravi Kulkarni and Mr Robin Cole of the Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust pictured outside St. Peter’s Hospital, Chertsey, at the launch of Bladder Cancer Awareness Day, part of National No Smoking Day.


 
Said Mr Cole, who is also Chairman of the Surrey, West Sussex and Hampshire Urological Cancer Network: “It is alarming how ignorant the general public are about the consequences of smoking upon the bladder. What is worse is that this ignorance extends to the medical profession as well, both in primary and secondary care. We want to draw attention to bladder cancer on National No Smoking Day.
 
“Studies of patients with bladder cancer show that only 22% of patients knew that smoking was a risk factor. This is a huge contrast compared to lung cancer patients, where 98% understood the risk involved.
 
“These invasive bladder cancers can kill very rapidly. For patients who have had their bladders removed living with a urostomy bag is a very fair price to pay for successful treatment of this disease.”


Bladder Cancer Facts:
  • 40% of new patients with bladder cancer are smokers.
  • 4,800 people died of bladder cancer in the UK in 2006
  • Stop smoking and after 4 years and the risk reduces by 40%.
  • 10,300 new cases, approximately, are diagnosed yearly in the UK
  • It is the 6th most common cause of cancer
  • In 50% of men with bladder cancer it is due to smoking
  • In 34.7% of women with bladder cancer it is due to smoking
                                                                                                                                                               
Reinforcing the need for public awareness Mr Kulkarni said: “Bladder cancer is not well publicised. Early diagnosis is essential. Blood in urine is the most common presenting symptom and should not be ignored. Smoking is the most important risk factor – though not widely known or publicised. The Urology department at Ashford and St Peter’s hospitals provides a rapid access one-stop service to assess this problem every week. It is called the Haematuria (blood in urine) clinic.”
 


Surrey PCT Stop Smoking Adviser Fiona Cole, Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust Consultant Urological surgeons Mr Robin Cole and Mr Ravi Kulkarni, the Trust’s Cancer Lead and Consultant Respiratory Physician Dr Paul Murray, Macmillan and Nurse Consultant for Palliative Care Lesley Spencer and Ottershaw GP Dr Judith Donaldson outside St. Peter’s Hospital, Chertsey, at the launch of Bladder Cancer Awareness Day as part of national No Smoking Day on 11 March.


 
Mr Ravi Kulkarni and Mr Robin Cole have successfully performed their 100th Cystectomy operation - the removal of the urinary bladder - at St. Peter’s Hospital.  After this operation patients can no longer pass urine conventionally. In the operation a slightly protruding stoma is created on the outside of the abdomen and from then on urine flows directly to the stoma and into a disposable bag. This flow is continual, day and night.
                                                                                                               
St. Peter’s has been designated as the Centre for Complex Major Pelvic Cancer Operations for Surrey from April 2005. This accolade was given to the department by the Regional Cancer Network. The department needs to perform over 50 complex major operations of this type every year to become eligible for this status. The team of Mr Kulkarni and Mr Cole has been performing over 75 such procedures every year for a long time. In addition to their joint interest in performing cysectomy (removal of the bladder), Mr Kulkarni also undertakes Radical Prostatectomies for early prostate cancer in large numbers.
 
Said Mr Kulkarni: “These are very complex operations. The patients who need their bladder removal for aggressive bladder cancer are generally old and have other medical problems. Mr Cole and I have developed an excellent team of Junior doctors, nurse practitioners and theatre staff, as well as ward teams who look after there patients through their journey during a difficult time. High dependency unit and ward nurses provide an important back-up.”
                               
A special Pelvic Cancer Clinic has been set up at Ashford and St. Peter’s hospitals for the past three years and is run jointly by Mr Kulkarni and Mr Cole with their oncology colleague and a nurse practitioner. Every patient is given a 30 minute appointment so that all the issues can be discussed and their concerns addressed.
                                                                                                                               
The outcome of this complex major surgery has been analysed and is of international standards. In addition to the conventional ileal conduit (the bag) which is created after the removal of the urinary bladder, Mr Kulkarni and Mr Cole also create a new bladder from the small bowel so that some, carefully selected, patients can pass water normally.
 
 
Last Updated ( Monday, 16 March 2009 15:21 )