Ava Saidian, MD, on delayed diagnosis of bladder cancer in women

In this video, Ava Saidian, MD, sheds light on the challenges that women face in the diagnosis of bladder cancer. Saidian is a urologic oncologist and assistant professor of urology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tennessee.

Video Transcript:

I think one of the biggest challenges women have in general in terms of diagnosis of bladder cancer is that it tends to be delayed. When they are diagnosed, it is usually at a more advanced stage compared to their male counterparts. There are lots of theories behind why their diagnosis is delayed. The most common reason is that the symptoms and signs can often mimic other things that are seen commonly in women. For example, bladder cancer can mimic the signs of a urinary tract infection. Blood in the urine, which is the most common sign, whether you see it grossly or microscopically, can be attributed to other things, such as menstrual bleeding, post-menopausal bleeding, or a UTI. That can often delay things. In fact, when compared to men, women are less likely to get a cystoscopy when they present with blood in the urine than men are, I think for aforementioned reasons, that it's often attributed by physicians to be caused by something else that's non-cancerous.

This transcription was AI generated and edited by human editors for clarity.