Bladder cancer awareness month

Bladder Cancer. Two words that deliver a devastating impact. Every year, over 570,000 people are diagnosed with bladder cancer and 1.7m people find themselves living with the condition. It is the 10th most commonly diagnosed cancer and the 13th cause of death from cancer globally. But, a timely diagnosis offers a significant increase in the chance of long-term survival and quality of life. Blood in the urine is the most important warning sign of bladder cancer to watch out for.

Yet bladder cancer is the forgotten cancer, and it should not be. We need to unite and raise our voices for people affected by bladder cancer. World Bladder Cancer Awareness month in May 2023 is a chance for us to do exactly that!

Explore the impact of bladder cancer in different countries in an interactive global map by visiting the Bladder Cancer Digital World Tour. 

About 2023 theme

We are thrilled to announce our new, evolved campaign theme for this year:

‘Feeling unsure? Get checked.

One of the main barriers in timely diagnosis of bladder cancer are related to the symptoms. Both, symptoms and the way in which people respond to them can vary, especially as some of the symptoms are not immediately seen as linked to bladder cancer. The discovery of blood in the urine, painful urination, and irregular urination can all be mistaken for other conditions, causing bladder cancer to be overlooked.

Our campaign aims to bring attention to the misrepresentation of symptoms and encourage people to re-evaluate their symptoms, as what they thought they saw may actually be something different.

During Bladder Cancer Awareness Month 2023, our goal is to spark conversations that raise awareness about the disease by highlighting the symptoms of bladder cancer and overcoming any barriers to seeking medical advice.

The key element of our 2023 campaign is the “unsure icon”, reflecting the uncertainty around bladder cancer and its timely diagnosis. Which we will introduce closer to the month of May.

4 grants available

For the second consecutive year, we offer the Bladder Cancer Awareness Month Grants (BCAM Grant) for 2023. The BCAM Grant aims to enable patient organisations, support, or advocacy groups in low and middle-income countries to bring awareness to bladder cancer in their communities.

What you need to know:

  • 4 BCAM Grants worth €500 each are available (financial and/or in-kind support)
  • 15 March – Deadline to submit your application
  • 1 April – We will inform you of our decision
  • 1 May – Your activities should start during the awareness month and not later than this date.
  • 1 July – Deadline to submit an impact report

Today, bladder cancer awareness remains low across the world, including in low and middle-income countries. Our ambition is to support awareness campaigns by offsetting some of the costs of these activities.

Last year in May, we awarded the grant to advocates in India, South Africa, and Albania. They have made great efforts to bring awareness to bladder cancer in their communities in May. Learn more about their initiatives here.

Thank you to all the people that have submitted their applications. The submissions are now closed. 

Lasting impact – 2022 campaign

Last year, we have not only reached more people but also had a much bigger impact than ever before. Together, we brought the community together, helped bring attention to bladder cancer across online conversations, raising awareness about bladder cancer and guiding people affected by it to a wealth of resources and support provided by our member organisations around the world.

The awareness month hero video reached over 600,000 people globally and our activities on our social media channels alone, reached over 4 million people.

We would like to sincerely thank everyone who participated – our coalition members, our partners and our supporters from all over the globe, who joined us and helped us spread the word.

Download our Bladder Cancer Awareness Month report and learn more about our 2022 campaign, its results and the wonderful global participation.

Bladder Cancer Awareness Month

570,000
new cases diagnosed
& approximately
200,000
deaths in 2020

Bladder Cancer is the
10th
most common cancer
globally

60% of cases
&
50% of deaths occur in less developed countries

How can you get involved?

We will be sharing BCAM2023 awareness-raising material shortly. In the meantime, we invite you to raise awareness by:

Graphics & Infographics

Newsletter 

Social media content

Our members activities

Australia

bladdercancer.org.au

Visit page

Australia

Bladder Cancer Awareness Australia

Visit page

Canada

Bladder Cancer Canada

Visit page

France

Cancer Vessie France – Les Zuros

Visit page

Italy

Associazione PaLiNUro

Visit page

Norway

Norwegian Bladder Cancer Society

Visit page

South Africa

Campaign 4 Cancer

Visit page

United Kingdom

Fight Bladder Cancer

Visit page

United Kingdom

Action Bladder Cancer UK

Visit page

United States

Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN)

Visit page