Today, our CEO, Alex Filicevas, Chaired an expert roundtable at the European Parliament in Brussels to Lead the Change in Bladder Cancer. The meeting was hosted by Liesbet Sommen MEP (European People’s Party (EPP), Belgium) and Dr András Kulja MEP (EPP, Hungary), Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s ENVI Committee and a Medical Doctor by training.
The roundtable was a meeting convening experts to shape an alliance with focused collective action,
From October 23 to 27, oncologists, researchers and patient advocates from around the world met in Madrid for the ESMO Congress 2026. We were there to make sure the voices of people affected by bladder cancer were part of the conversation.
Over the four days, our CEO Alex Filicevas, President Lori Funk and VP Michelle Colero engaged with stakeholders, uro oncolgists as well as fellow cancer patient advocates as well as our industry partners.
The World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition (WBCPC) is in Hong Kong for the World Cancer Congress 2026, organised by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) with the Hong Kong Anti-Cancer Society.
On September 25, 2026, our Executive Director Alex Filicevas spoke in the session “Promoting Shared Decision Making in Cancer Care”, alongside Olivier Exertier, Executive Director, and Margie Hickey, Board of Directors, of the International Kidney Cancer Coalition (IKCC);
When someone is diagnosed with cancer, a patient organisation is often where they turn for information, support and a voice. Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic began, those organisations are still under strain, and patients feel it first. New research from the Global Cancer Coalitions Network (GCCN) shows where the pressure lies and what needs to change.
The World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition (WBCPC) is in Hong Kong for the World Cancer Congress 2026,
When someone is diagnosed with bladder cancer, one of the first things they do is look for information. Too often, what they find is hard to read, hard to trust or hard to act on. Our latest research looks at why this happens, and what needs to change.
This week, the World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition is in Hong Kong for the World Cancer Congress 2026, one of the biggest global events on cancer control.
The final session of Public Day at the World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2026 in Hong Kong, Addressing gaps in support for women with bladder cancer, was chaired by Christine La Rose of BEAT Bladder Cancer Australia, with Angela Pelletier of Bladder Cancer Canada, Hilda Kwok, Nurse Consultant in Urology at Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong, and Dr Makarand Khochikar, Head of Urology and Urologic Oncology at KIMS Hospital,
On Public Day of the World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2026 in Hong Kong, the session Capturing lived experience with bladder cancer brought together three people who have lived it: Amit Rele, joining online from India, Junichiro Sano of the Patient Association of Bladder Cancer Japan, and Amy Samuel, President of Bladder Cancer Sénégal. Consistently one of the Forum’s most valued sessions, it gave the day its most personal hour.
Amit Rele: “patients are only limited by their beliefs”
On Public Day of the World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2026 in Hong Kong, Adam Lynch, Founder and CEO of BEAT Bladder Cancer Australia, moderated Charting the path to Shared Decision-Making with Melanie Costin (Fight Bladder Cancer), Dr Brian Ho (Hong Kong Urological Association), Mădălina Iamandei (All.Can International), Nicole Dixon (Johnson & Johnson) and Dr Murallitharan Munisamy (National Cancer Society of Malaysia).
On Public Day of the World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2026 in Hong Kong, Lori Funk Cirefice, President of the World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition, hosted: “Role of carers in the healthcare system” with Laurent Gemenick and David Garrigues Ronda, the couple who co-founded CANVES, Spain’s first bladder cancer support group. Laurent is the patient. David is his carer.
Lori opened with the premise the whole Forum had been circling: a bladder cancer diagnosis does not land on one person.
On Public Day of the World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2026 in Hong Kong, Alex Filicevas, Executive Director of the World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition, presented WBCPC and our global impact, a tour of what the Coalition and its members have achieved and what comes next.
He began with the community itself. The Coalition now brings together 17 member organisations across 14 countries, and is still growing, with a wider circle of advocates,
For general information, information about membership or policy information, please contact the WBCPC Secretariat at info@worldbladdercancer.org
For general information, information about membership or policy information, please contact the WBCPC Secretariat at info@worldbladdercancer.org
