WBCPC convenes experts to lead the change in bladder cancer care

Today, our CEO, Alex Filicevas, Chaired an expert roundtable at the European Parliament in Brussels to Lead the Change in Bladder Cancer. The meeting was hosted by Liesbet Sommen MEP (European People’s Party (EPP), Belgium) and Dr András Kulja MEP (EPP, Hungary), Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s ENVI Committee and a Medical Doctor by training.

The roundtable was a meeting convening experts to shape an alliance with focused collective action, bringing different expertise together to put bladder cancer firmly on the European and national policy agenda. Together, participants began shaping the policy asks that could help improve care for people affected by bladder cancer across Europe.

Common, yet overlooked

Every day in the European Union, about 450 people hear the words “you have bladder cancer”. That is more than 165,000 people every year. Bladder cancer is Europe’s fifth most common cancer, yet it hardly received any attention in healthcare policies across Europe.

Bringing the patient perspective to the table

Alex opened the discussion with the experiences of patients, survivors and carers from across our coalition. Findings from our Global Bladder Cancer Patient & Carer Survey, with patient experience data from 1,200 respondents in 45 countries, shows how often people are let down at the very start of their journey.

• 1 in 10 patientssaw a doctor five or more times before being referred to a specialist
• Women were twice as likely as mento be first misdiagnosed with a urinary tract infection (39% compared with 21%).

Every extra visit is time lost, and in bladder cancer, time matters. When bladder cancer is found early, more than 8 in 10 people survive beyond 5 years.

From the patients’ perspective, three things matter most. First, recognition: bladder cancer written into European and national cancer plans, with targets and investment behind them. Second, quality and equity: multidisciplinary care and timely, clear pathways as the standard everywhere. Third, access: fair and timely access to innovation, with patients meaningfully involved in Health Technology Assessment (HTA).

Many voices around one table

Bladder cancer touches every part of the health system, and no one group can change it alone. That is why the roundtable brought together patient organisations, including our members Fight Bladder Cancer and Neovida, alongside urologists and urology nurses from the European Association of Urology and European Association of Urology Nurses . Pathologists from the European Society of Pathology, primary care from WONCA Europe, health economists and researchers joined them, together with All.Can International, the European Cancer Organisation.

Johnson & Johnson is the funding member of the Alliance. Other pharmaceutical companies were also invited to take part, to support an open and informed dialogue. The meeting was supported by The Health Policy Partnership.

What comes next

The Bladder Cancer Policy Alliance is still taking shape and we looking forward to its launch in 2027. We are deliberately bringing together a wide range of stakeholder groups, so that we can look at bladder cancer from every dimension and draw on the full breadth of expertise needed to improve care. The Alliance builds on years of joint work by the bladder cancer community, including the White Paper on Bladder Cancer we published with the European Association of Urology in 2023, the EUrology session on bladder cancer in February 2025, and our intervention at the European Parliament Intergroup on Cancer and Rare Diseases earlier this year.

We sincerely thank Liesbet Sommen MEP and Dr András Kulja MEP for hosting us, and every participant for their candour and expertise. People affected by bladder cancer are counting on what we do next.

Want to learn more about our policy work? Explore how we advocate for better patient care, or contact us at info@worldbladdercancer.org to bring your expertise to this work.