WBCPC connects with international urology community at SIU41 Congress

The World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition joined for the first time the Annual Congress of Société Internationale d’Urologie SIU41. The Congress took place during November 10-14, 2021, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

This event marks the first-time participation at the SIU41 and the first time the World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition hosts an exhibit booth at a leading international event. We had the opportunity to present the organisation and our activities to an international urology community. We further promoted greater understanding and awareness of bladder cancer patient advocacy.

Together, Dr Lydia Makaroff and Alex Filicevas met with healthcare professionals from Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Egypt, Estonia, India, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Oman, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Africa, Sudan, Sweden, Tunisia, UAE, United Kingdom, and the USA.

Sharing resources to support bladder cancer patient groups

Throughout the SIU41 Congress, we shared with healthcare professionals, the importance of peer support and access to high-quality patient information. We highlighted the resources WBCPC has available to help them set up a bladder cancer group in their region. Many countries do not have a bladder cancer patient organisation or a group providing support on the locally. The WBCPC Start-up guide for bladder cancer patient groups is an incredible resource developed together with our community. We distributed the Start-up guide in print at the SIU41 in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese. You can download the guides digitally or if you would like to request a paper copy, please get in touch with us at info@worldbladdercancer.org, and we will post it to you.

The Global Bladder Cancer Patient Experience Survey was another important topic of discussion with healthcare professionals who treat and care for patients affected by bladder cancer. We’ve highlighted the importance of capturing those experiences to better inform our advocacy and advance quality of bladder cancer care. The survey is now available in 7 languages, with 4 more to follow

Explore our WBCPC Annual Report to learn more about or work in this summary of our key milestones and activities in 2020. You can download the report below.