Uniting to Meet Bladder Cancer Patient Needs

At the World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2024, advocates shared powerful insights on enhancing patient support and tackling the unique challenges of bladder cancer care.

Michelle Colero from Bladder Cancer Canada aopened the discussion by sharing her personal connection to bladder cancer and her journey in the non-profit sector. Her organisation provides vital support groups tailored to the unique needs of caregivers and patients, including those with metastatic or muscle-invasive bladder cancer. With caregiver support groups now available in multiple languages, Bladder Cancer Canada has made support accessible to French- and Spanish-speaking communities and is soon expanding to Cantonese.

Melanie Costin of Fight Bladder Cancer discussed the role of accessible information in empowering patients. With 24/7 online forums and support groups, Fight Bladder Cancer has created a safe space for patients to connect, even sharing daily experiences to build a sense of community. Their printed magazine, featuring patient stories and topics like mental health and treatment decisions, has become a valuable resource, reaching urology departments and general practitioners’ offices across the UK.

In Brazil, Flávia Kavalec from Instituto Oncoguia explained how the Patient Support Program (PSP) offers personalised guidance on navigating treatment and provides emotional support through a WhatsApp-based service. As one of Brazil’s largest cancer advocacy groups, Oncoguia addresses patients’ concerns directly, particularly during the country’s ongoing BCG shortage, advocating for better access and awareness among healthcare providers.

Each speaker emphasised the importance of collaboration across borders. For example, Fight Bladder Cancer and Bladder Cancer Canada have shared resources to reach multicultural communities in their respective countries. The success of these programmes demonstrates that while bladder cancer challenges vary, the needs for reliable information, compassionate support, and accessible resources are universal. The Forum reinforced the importance of pooling resources and sharing best practices to strengthen support for bladder cancer patients worldwide.

The World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2024 once again connected our friends and colleagues. It allowed for the sharing of best practice in our community, exchanging patient experiences and challenges while exploring opportunities for improvement together and fostering our close-knit community of bladder cancer patient advocates.

Watch the full session, “Delivering Support to Meet Patient Needs” on the WBCPC YouTube Channel.