Black Bermudians with cancer symptoms are more at risk of death because they put off seeking medical advice, a leading British doctor has said.

Jonathan Makanjuola, a specialist in urinary tract diseases, explained: “In my experience, people from African and Caribbean communities with possible symptoms of cancer tend to seek help late, potentially making the outcome much worse.

“There are often cultural and religious reasons preventing black people from seeing their doctors early and this needs to change so that more lives can be saved.”

Dr Makanjuola, a consultant urologist and lead clinician on bladder cancer at King’s College Hospital in London, was speaking as he prepared to visit Bermuda for consultation at the North Shore Medical & Aesthetics Centre in Devonshire next week.

He said both men and women should “look before they flush” to check the colour of their urine as blood in urine is a key symptom of bladder and kidney cancer.

Dr Makanjuola said that more than 10,000 people a year in England are given diagnoses of kidney cancer and about 8,000 people fall victim to bladder cancer.

He added that more than 250 churches in England, including black majority churches and mosques, had backed a “Be Clear on Cancer” campaign designed to get people to check their urine colour. Dr Makanjuola said: “You should visit your doctor if you have blood in your urine, even if it’s just once.”

He added: “The chances are it isn’t cancer, but it could be a sign of something else that needs treatment. If it is cancer, the sooner it is diagnosed the greater the chance of successful treatment. That’s why it’s important to pay attention to anything unusual happening to your body,”

Dr Makanjuola is a consultant urologist and lead clinician for bladder cancer at King’s College Hospital in London.

Dr Makanjuola was the first recipient of the British Association of Urological Surgeons/World Congress of Endourology fellowship.

Dr Makanjuola is a member of the American Urology Association, the British Association of Orological Surgeons, and the European Association of Urology.

He will be at the North Shore Medical & Aesthetics Centre from November 7 to 16.

• For more information, call 293-5476.