The urological cancers are not “sexy”, they are not “cool” – no cancer is. However the embarrassment surrounding kidney, bladder, testicular and prostate cancer is acute. Awareness of the signs and symptoms of these cancers remains woefully low amongst the general public, resulting in two adverse consequences: a lack of research funding and late diagnoses, as symptoms are unrecognised, not taken seriously or are unreported because of embarrassment or fear. Since health awareness campaigns in the UK encouraged women to ‘know their bodies’, mortality rates for breast cancer, have fallen dramatically. Women are aware of what signs to look for, and that they must seek early intervention. There is far less embarrasment talking about breast cancer, we are all proud to wear our pink ribbons and people know what they stand for. A higher public profile has resulted in more funds for research leading to new and more effective treatments, thankfully this knowledge and awareness has saved the lives of thousands of women. At UCARE we want that same impact for urological cancers. We have some fantastic projects to help us with this cause. We have a comprehesive website with advice for anyone worried about urological cancer and we are starting a blog site for young men with testicular cancer to be able to chat with other sufferers 24/7 and obtain professional advice. Next month we are starting to fund a specialised community nurse to travel around Oxfordshire visiting, surgeries, colleges, sports clubs etc. giving talks about the need for greater awareness and healthy lifestyles which we hope will be a pilot for other communities. We also fund ground breaking research and equipment. We have really dedicated trustees and volunteers and we do feel we are progressing in our battle against these cancers, but what we desperately need is help with marketing and branding. We need our message to be heard by all members of the public and we dont know how to do it.
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UCARE has two aims - to fund world class research into cancers of the kidney, bladder, prostate and testes and to educate the public to be aware of the signs and symptoms of urological cancers. Cancers of the kidney and bladder which affect both men and women, and prostate and testes, which affect men, are frequently diagnosed – (20% of all new cancers diagnosed each year are urology related) – but they have a low public profile, resulting in two adverse consequences: a lack of research funding and late diagnoses, as symptoms are unrecognised, not taken seriously or are unreported because of embarrassment or fear. Awareness of the signs and symptoms of these cancers remains woefully low amongst the general public. One in four cancer patients are diagnosed only after going to A&E, according to the latest figures from the National Cancer Intelligence Network. Shockingly, it is one in three in people over 70. Thousands of people are dying each year simply because they are not aware of what signs to look for. We raise funds to facilitate research of national and international significance in order to prevent, diagnose and treat urological cancer. We encourage the development of new technologies and ways of treating cancer, in order to improve the lives of cancer patients. We support cancer research facilities that are taking a leading role in the global fight against cancer. We help people to understand urological cancer and the research being done to find new ways to fight it. We aim to provide information and education about urological cancers. Early intervention and diagnosis is key to successful treatments but awareness of signs and symptoms of these cancers is woefully low. We need to run awareness campaigns in order to close the gap in cancer survival rates between the UK and its European counterparts (it is recognised the primary reason for this is late diagnosis of the disease).
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