Women are being urged to watch for signs of bladder cancer, with health experts saying many mistake the illness for a less serious urine infection.

Survival rates for bladder cancer in women are about 10 per cent worse than for men, UK health experts have warned.

Possible reasons behind this include them being diagnosed later, and women are being urged to act promptly if they recognise any of the warning signs such as visible blood and pain while urinating, which can often be mistaken for a more minor urine infection.

Women also have a 30 per cent greater chance than men of being diagnosed with the most advanced stage of bladder cancer, and are more likely to have a rare type of the disease.

Public Health England (PHE) said while men have a 77 per cent one-year relative rate survival, the figure is 64 per cent for women.

After five years, men have a 58 per cent relative survival, compared to 47 per cent in women.

Nearly 2500 women in England were diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2013, and around 1500 died from the disease.

The research by PHE's National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) was presented at the Cancer Outcomes Conference in Belfast.

"Generally women have higher survival from cancer so this is an unusual finding," Julia Verne, strategic public health lead of PHE's NCIN, said.

"Urine infections are common in women so bladder cancer can be difficult to spot as the symptoms are relatively similar.

"Visible blood in pee is the leading indicator, and we urge women to be vigilant and inform their GP as early as they can if this occurs. Checking before you flush is just one simple way to stay alert to the warning signs."