The World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition (WBCPC) attended the 45th Annual Congress of the Société Internationale d’Urologie (SIU 2025) in Edinburgh, Scotland, a leading global event that brings together urologists, nurses, researchers, and patient advocates from around the world. This marks the fifth consecutive year that WBCPC has joined the SIU Congress, strengthening our role in international collaboration to improve bladder cancer care.
At our exhibition booth, we shared a wide range of patient-focused materials to help support informed care and patient involvement.
On October 17, the World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition joined the Global Cancer Coalitions Network (GCCN) and Ipsen for a Shared Decision-Making Roundtable held ahead of the ESMO 2025 Congress in Berlin. The meeting brought together cancer coalitions, patient organisations and clinical experts to examine how shared decision-making can be better embedded in routine oncology care.
Shared decision-making is an important part of patient-centred cancer care. It ensures that patients receive clear information about their treatment options and can take part in choosing the approach that best reflects their needs and preferences.
The World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2025 concluded its Public Day in Brussels with closing remarks from Ondřej Dostál, Member of the European Parliament (Czechia), who delivered an insightful keynote on the role of awareness, prevention, and policy collaboration in improving outcomes for people affected by bladder cancer.
A lawyer and policymaker, Ondřej Dostál highlighted the importance of addressing the environmental and social factors that contribute to cancer incidence, stressing that prevention and early diagnosis must remain at the heart of European health policy.
At the World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2025, the spotlight on Bladder Cancer Awareness Month Grants celebrated community-driven innovation from across four continents, showing how small awards can spark meaningful, lasting impact. With live Spanish interpretation available via Wordly, participants heard how Wisdom Zunguzungu, Fiorella Gagliardi, Óscar Rodríguez, and Charles Ogada are closing awareness gaps, mobilising local networks, and bringing vital information to those who need it most.
At the World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2025, the session “Meaningful patient engagement in action” brought together a diverse panel to explore how patient voices can shape care, research, and decision-making, not as a symbolic gesture, but as a shared responsibility across all stakeholders.
Moderated by Alex Filicevas, Executive Director of the World Bladder Cancer Patient Coalition, the discussion featured Christine La Rose, bladder cancer survivor and Patient Support and Advisory Leader at BEAT Bladder Cancer Australia;
On Public Day in Brussels, the World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2025 hosted “Making sense of medicine access,” a practical, multi-stakeholder conversation on how promising science becomes real treatment for real people. Moderated by Lauren Pretorius (Campaigning for Cancer), the session brought together Mihai Rotaru (EFPIA) and Robert Sauermann (Austrian Federation of Social Insurances) to unpack where and why access stalls, and how to fix it.
Lauren opened the session by reminding participants that innovation only matters when it reaches patients.
Patient voice in Health Technology Assessments
The World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2025 in Brussels continued on Public Day with an insightful session titled “Patient voice in Health Technology Assessments (HTA).” The discussion focused on how meaningful patient involvement can improve the way new medicines, diagnostics, and technologies are evaluated—ensuring that innovation leads to real benefits for people affected by bladder cancer.
Moderated by Dr Anke-Peggy Holtorf, Board Member of HTAi (Health Technology Assessment International),
The World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2025 continued on Public Day in Brussels with a moving session titled “Patient stories that drive change.” The session featured two powerful personal testimonies from Anita Eik Roald, bladder cancer patient and CEO of the Norwegian Bladder Cancer Society, and Alessandro Boni, bladder cancer survivor and volunteer at Associazione PaLiNuRo.
Both speakers shared how their experiences and personal journeys inspired them to advocate for support,
The World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2025 continued on Public Day in Brussels with a session exploring the latest developments in bladder cancer research, featuring insights from two leading experts, Dr Ashish M. Kamat, Chair of the WBCPC Scientific Advisory Board and Professor of Urologic Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Prof. Hendrik Van Poppel, Policy Office Chair at the European Association of Urology.
