Prescription rates for urinary tract infections (UTI) as a marker for bladder and renal cancer

Prescription rates for urinary tract infections (UTI) as a marker for bladder and renal cancer

• study found evidence for an increase in the rate of prescriptions for UTIs from baseline 9 months before diagnosis of renal and bladder cancer
  • an earlier infection point for UTI antibiotic prescriptions was noted in women than in men (11 vs 7 months) prior to bladder cancer diagnosis
    • inflection points for an increase in UTI prescriptions were identified 9 months pre-diagnosis for renal (CI:5.3-12.7) and bladder (CI:7.4-
      10.6) cancers
    • for bladder cancer, the change in UTI antibiotic prescription rates occurred four months earlier in women (11 months, CI:9.7-12.3) than men (7 months, CI:5.4-8.6)
  • the study authors concluded:
    • prescription rates for UTIs increased 9 months before bladder and renal cancer diagnosis, indicating that there is potential to expedite diagnosis of these cancers in patients presenting with features of UTI

Reference:

• Funston G et al. Pre-diagnostic prescription patterns in bladder and renal cancer: a longitudinal linked data study. British Journal of General Practice 1 September 2023; BJGP.2023.0122. DOI: 10.3399/BJGP.2023.0122