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 10^th most commonly diagnosed cancer and the 13^th 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 2022 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 2022 theme

One of the main barriers surrounding diagnosis are the symptoms. The similarity to the effects of a UTI, the discovery of blood in our urine and the fact that these happen in intimate areas of our body mean that often we are too embarrassed to talk about them or seek a professional opinion.

During bladder cancer month we aim to spark conversations that drive awareness around the disease by honing in on these symptoms and the problem they bring. The vast majority of things we’re embarrassed about are harmless, these symptoms, however, might not be.

This year we advise people: Don’t Go Red. Go To A Doctor.

It’s a strong single-minded campaign thought: Don’t feel embarrassed by these symptoms or talking about them. Act on them.

It also has a double meaning on the use of the word “red”. Embarrassment is associated with blushing or turning red and with the main symptom of bladder cancer being the presence of blood, red, in the urine.

The topic of embarrassment is something that just about everyone can get involved in. We all have stories to share, whether you were directly affected by bladder cancer or not. We invited people to share the moment they discovered a symptom, the emotion they overcame, and the relief that they acted on it when they did.

Embarrassing affirmations

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.