WBCPC at World Cancer Congress 2024 in Geneva

The World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition marked a new milestone, presenting for the first time at the World Cancer Congress our Global Bladder Cancer Patient & Carer Survey Findings abstract poster. The only global cancer policy event organised every other year by the Union for the International Cancer Control took place on September 17-19, 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland. This marked our first poster at this prestigious event, underscoring our growing commitment and impact in the field of bladder cancer research and advocacy globally.

The WBCPC poster titled A Comprehensive Summary of Patient And Caregiver Experiences with Bladder Cancer: Results of a Survey from 45 Countries presented key findings from the survey data sub-analysis to the global audience of advocates and cancer policy experts from around the world.

Key findings from the Global Bladder Cancer Patient & Carer Survey, which gathered responses from 1,198 participants across 45 countries. Almost half (54%) of patients reported not knowing the signs and symptoms of bladder cancer before their diagnosis, including 64%, who were not aware that blood in urine was a symptom of bladder cancer. More than half reported having ‘another’ diagnosis before being correctly diagnosed with bladder cancer. Women were almost twice as likely to be misdiagnosed with a UTI (39%) than men (21%). Respondents under 55 years were less likely to be diagnosed in a timely fashion (3 months): (66%) compared to 55-74 years (79%) and over 74 years (81%). Almost half (45%) of patients undergoing radical cystectomy were not counselled on sexual side effects.

Download the Poster via the button below and explore further findings from the Global Bladder Cancer Patient & Carer Survey in the findings report.

The World Cancer Congress was attended by WBCPC Board Member Lauren Pretorius and our Executive Director Alex Filicevas. They met with various stakeholders from around the world, particularly focusing on expanding our network in low- and middle-income countries, to better understand bladder cancer impact and patient advocacy space in these regions.