WBCPC presents BCLEAR poster at the World Cancer Congress 2026 in Hong Kong

When someone is diagnosed with bladder cancer, one of the first things they do is look for information. Too often, what they find is hard to read, hard to trust or hard to act on. Our latest research looks at why this happens, and what needs to change.

This week, the World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition is in Hong Kong for the World Cancer Congress 2026, one of the biggest global events on cancer control. The Congress is organised by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) together with the Hong Kong Anti-Cancer Society.

On September 24, 2026, our Executive Director Alex Filicevas presented the poster Education materials on bladder cancer: a scoping review and recommendations for future initiatives in the session Rapid Fire 7 – Epidemiology in Action: Populations and Partners.

The research was led by Erasmus MC as part of BCLEAR (Bladder Cancer Literacy for All: Advancing Knowledge and Care in Europe), an EU co-funded project that aims to improve understanding of bladder cancer across Europe.

BCLEAR is coordinated by the European Association of Urology (EAU) and brings together a strong and diverse group of partners: the World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition (WBCPC), Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL), WONCA Europe, Hellenic Urological Association (HUA), Hungarian Urological Society (HUS), Polish Urological Association (PTU), and the Erasmus University Medical Center (EMC).

Why this matters

Bladder cancer is the fifth most common cancer in Europe. Clear information helps people spot warning signs early, understand their treatment options and take part in decisions about their care. Yet many people affected by bladder cancer still struggle to find information they can understand and trust.

What the research looked at

The team reviewed 1,253 titles and selected 35 studies on bladder cancer information, including:

• Websites and online booklets
• Videos on YouTube and TikTok
• Answers from AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and Gemini
• Education programmes for people having surgery to remove the bladder (radical cystectomy), and for their carers

What they found

• Much of the information was of poor to moderate quality.
• It was often too difficult to read for people without a medical background.
• Patients were rarely involved in creating or checking it.
• Education programmes around surgery helped people recover, both physically and emotionally, but most of this evidence comes from outside Europe.

What happens next

The review offers practical tips for three groups: patients and the public, health professionals, and the people who create health information. For example, it encourages patients to look for information from patient organisations, and to ask AI chatbots for plain language and trusted sources. These recommendations are now shaping the education toolboxes and decision aids being developed within BCLEAR, so that people affected by bladder cancer get information that works for them.

If you want to learn more about BCLEAR, please visit: https://patients.uroweb.org/bclear