‘Bladder Cancer Digital World Tour’ concludes the Bladder Cancer Awareness Month shining a light on bladder cancer impact worldwide

To boost global awareness of bladder cancer, a coalition of dedicated bladder cancer patient groups and advocates has delivered the Bladder Cancer Awareness Digital World Tour which wrapped up yesterday. This is a unique knowledge-sharing initiative that gives insight into bladder cancer impact in 31 countries across the world. The Tour ran throughout Bladder Cancer Awareness Month, and is organised by the World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition (WBCPC) and its member organisations.

Bladder cancer is one of the leading little known cancers. It’s the 10^th most common cancer on the planet but far less visible than other cancers on the global landscape, among healthcare professionals, patients and the general public. Meanwhile, more than 1,700,000 people live with bladder cancer today and over a half a million new patients are diagnosed with bladder cancer each year worldwide.

Boosting dialogue and sharing knowledge

The Digital World Tour is the first effort of its kind to encourage the exchange of information on countries’ bladder cancer impact, across communities and regions. It presents a picture of bladder cancer across Northern America, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and the Middle East, Europe, and Oceania.

Using an interactive ‘knowledge map’, it shares practical data on the impact of bladder cancer in each society, including: incidence, prevalence, mortality figures, and patient advocacy organisations and bladder cancer insights in different countries.

Data on bladder cancer compiled for the first time in this way across these countries reveal, for example that: the Europe and Asia regions have the highest bladder cancer incidence, prevalence and mortality; world’s highest bladder cancer prevalence is in the United States; while Egypt ranks the disease as its third most common cancer.

Bladder Cancer Awareness Month – a global initiative

During Bladder Cancer Awareness Month in May, bladder cancer patient communities around the world have called for:

• better awareness of bladder cancer, its symptoms and risk factors;
• more focus and funding for bladder cancer research and patient care;
• and the creation of more bladder cancer patient support groups and advocacy activities around the world.

Thank you to all the World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition member organisations around the world, who have joined the Bladder Cancer Awareness Month 2021 campaign and helped the world become more #BladderCancerAware