Women's bladder cancer symptoms dismissed as UTIs, perimenopause
Medical experts in Australia are raising concerns that bladder cancer symptoms in women are frequently misdiagnosed as UTIs or perimenopause. This diagnostic delay often leads to women being diagnosed at more advanced, harder-to-treat stages of the disease.
Why it matters
Improving early detection of bladder cancer in women is essential for increasing survival rates and reducing the long-term health burden.
Christine La Rose, left, and Margaret Blake, right, both faced delays prior to their bladder cancer diagnosis. ( Supplied: Christine La Rose and Margaret Blake )
In Australia, three in four people diagnosed with bladder cancer are men, but the five-year survival rate for women is much lower.
It is common for women to face diagnostic delays, with symptoms easily misdiagnosed as urinary tract infections (UTIs) or perimenopause.
Experts are calling for greater awareness about bladder cancer symptoms, as well of the importance of referrals for women with recurrent bladder infections.
Link copied Share Share article Four years.
That is how much time passed between when Andrea Harris first presented to her GP with a suspected bladder infection, and when she was diagnosed with advanced, muscle-invasive bladder cancer.
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