On Advocates Day of the World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2026 in Hong Kong, Alex Filicevas, Executive Director of the World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition (WBCPC), and Lori Cirefice, President of WBCPC, sat down for a conversation about what it takes to truly support the Coalition’s members.
Lori opened with her own story. In 2013, when her husband was diagnosed with bladder cancer, they were living in the south of France with no patient organisation to turn to.
Advocates Day at the World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2026 in Hong Kong made room for a subject every organisation in the room is already wrestling with. In a workshop titled “AI tools for patient advocates: a practical introduction” Theodoros Yfantis, WBCPC Project Coordinator, set out where artificial intelligence can genuinely help an advocacy team, and where it should be kept well away.
He began by taking the mystery out of it.
Advocates Day at the World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2026 in Hong Kong turned to what members have actually built, with four organisations presenting projects that worked at home and could work elsewhere. None of us holds a monopoly on good ideas, and the session ran on a simple assumption: the most useful resource in the room is often something another member has already tried.
The World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2026 opened today in Hong Kong, the first time our Forum has been held in Asia. Advocates travelled from Senegal, Kenya, Malawi, Colombia, Argentina, Japan, India, Singapore, Taiwan, Australia, Canada, South Africa and across Europe to be in the room together. The keynote session brought together Lori Funk Cirefice, President of the World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition (WBCPC) and of Cancer Vessie France, and Dr Ka-On Lam,
When partners, policymakers and patient advocates gathered at the Ordem dos Médicos in Portugal on September 10, 2026 to launch the second phase of ECHoS, our Executive Director, Alex Filicevas, was among the voices in the room there to make sure patients community remains at the centre of Europe’s response to cancer. Alex took part as Chair of the WECAN Foundation, the European network of cancer patient advocacy organisations that WBCPC is proud to belong to.
Change happens when the bladder cancer community comes together in one room. In just a few weeks that room will be in Hong Kong, and there is still time for you to be in it. The World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2026 is almost here. Now in its sixth edition, the Forum is the only global gathering led by and for the bladder cancer patient community. This year we meet at The Harbourview, Wan Chai,
Together with partners from across Europe, we gathered on September 4, 2026, in Budapest for the annual consortium meeting of BCLEAR: Bladder Cancer Literacy for All: Advancing Knowledge and Care in Europe. A full day of discussion gave the consortium the chance to review our progress and agree the next steps for our shared work.
Co-funded by the European Union and coordinated by the European Association of Urology (EAU),
Behind every statistic is a person navigating a diagnosis, a treatment decision or life after bladder cancer, and often a carer beside them. This September, the global community working to support them comes together in Hong Kong. The World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2026 takes place on September 21 and 22, 2026, at The Harbourview, Wan Chai, and registrations are now open.
Now in its sixth edition, the Forum is the annual global meeting point for patient advocates,
The World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum returns in 2026, and this year we are bringing the global bladder cancer community together in Hong Kong for a two-day event. On September 21, Advocates Day is a dedicated space for our member organisations to connect, collaborate and strengthen their advocacy. On September 22, Public Day, patients, carers, advocates, healthcare professionals, researchers and policymakers gather for a full day of conversations that matter,
Our Project Coordinator, Theodoros Yfantis, spoke in Brussels at the event “Unseen, Uncounted, Unaddressed: The Case for Continence Health in EU Policy”, organised by the European Association of Urology (EAU) on June 24, 2026, as part of the Urge to Act campaign and hosted by MEP Tomislav Sokol.
The event brought together patient organisations, European Commission representatives and healthcare professionals to make the case for continence as a health policy priority.
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
