June 6 marks the nationwide Cancer Awareness Day. Educational programs on screening and prevention garner a great presence for breast, prostate, ovarian, lung, and colon cancers. All of these cancers, except for colon cancer, are falling in death rates due to early detection. But there is another cancer, sometimes called the forgotten cancer, which is rising steadily in statistics of people having and dying with this disease.

As a bladder cancer survivor, founder of Indie Music For Life non-profit, and a new writer for the Life Sciences Cancer blog, I have a personal goal to make more people aware of this particular type of cancer, the symptoms, and prescreening that can be done if you or a loved one have the symptoms below.

Blood in the urine is usually the first warning sign of bladder cancer. Unfortunately, the blood is often invisible to the eye. This is called microscopic hematuria, and it is detectable with a simple urine test. In some cases, enough blood is in the urine to noticeably change the urine color. The urine may have a slightly pink or orange hue, or it may be bright red with or without clots. If your urine changes color, you need to see your health care provider.

Pain or burning during urination without evidence of urinary tract infection is another sign. Change in bladder habits, such as having to urinate more often or feeling the strong urge to urinate without producing much urine is another sign. If you have these symptoms it does not mean you have bladder cancer but consult your physician for follow up exams. Your doctor may want to do a urine test, CTscan, or a cystoscopy.

Bladder Cancer is often overlooked in education and awareness efforts and until recently did not have a celebrity spokesperson. Tate Donavan is the new national spokesperson and will serve as a member on the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network Board of Directors.

Bladder cancer is also about as prevalent in women as ovarian and cervical cancer. Statistics show that 131,694 women in the have bladder cancer 169,875 women have ovarian cancer 184,371 women have cervical cancer.

The disparity between women and men in both the diagnosis of bladder cancer and five-year survival rates is compelling. Women have a disproportionately higher death rate from bladder cancer than men. A greater percentage of women than men are diagnosed with muscle invasive, or later stage, bladder cancer. Women also have a disproportionately higher death rate. There are a higher percentage of men who survive for ten years after diagnosis than women who survive for five.

However, if the cancer is caught early in women, the five-year survival rate for bladder cancer is 92 percent if tumors are detected while they are still confined in the bladder lining, but drops to 43 percent or less once they become invasive. More men than women have bladder cancer, yet the incidence rate of bladder cancer in women is going up.