The World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2024 in Punta Cana brought together advocates, healthcare professionals, and community leaders from around the world to share their unique approaches to raising awareness about bladder cancer. Through presentations from Italy, Canada, France, and countries across Africa, the Forum highlighted the dedication of advocates working to improve lives for people with bladder cancer.
Laura Magenta, representing Italy’s only bladder cancer patient organisation, Associazione PaLiNUro,
At the World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2024, a panel of experts joined to discuss patient involvement in clinical trials. Moderated by WBCPC President Dr Lydia Makaroff, the session explored how engaging patients throughout the research process – design, recruitment, and education – can lead to more impactful trials and improved outcomes.
Dr Lydia Makaroff set the stage by highlighting recent data from the WBCPC Global Survey, where 84% of bladder cancer patients reported they did not receive any information about participating in clinical trials.
At the World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2024, Prof. Joan Palou, Chairman of the Urology Department at Fundació Puigvert in Barcelona, Spain, presented on the latest advances in bladder cancer research. Prof Palou’s Keynote presentation focused on how new treatments, better imaging methods, and innovative bladder preservation approaches are advancing bladder cancer treatment and care.
Prof. Palou began by discussing muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), explaining that even with aggressive treatments,
At the World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2024, advocates, healthcare professionals, and patients gathered to discuss issues in bladder cancer care. The session, “Joining Forces to Meet Bladder Cancer Patient Support Needs,” highlighted the importance of patient education, collaboration, and addressing gender-specific challenges.
Dr. Martin Angel opened the discussion by emphasising the importance of holistic support for bladder cancer patients. He highlighted how his team collaborates with radiologists, pathologists, and psychologists to manage side effects and support patients during treatment.
The session, Starting a Bladder Cancer Patient Group from Scratch, at the World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2024 brought together Laurent Gemenick, Co-founder of CANVES (Spain), and Dr. Stephanie Demkiw, Co-founder of Bladder Cancer Awareness Australia (Australia). Both speakers shared their own personal journeys starting a patient group and outlined the essential steps to consider when starting bladder cancer organisations in their countries.
Laurent Gemenick began by reflecting on the journey of founding CANVES,
On November 26, 2024, the world marks the International Caregiver Day by appreciating the important contributions of carers around the world, especially those supporting people affected by bladder cancer.
Bladder cancer, the 9th most commonly diagnosed cancer globally, affects not only patients but also their families and friends. Carers, often close family members or friends, play an essential role in providing practical assistance and emotional support throughout the cancer journey.
Our Bladder Cancer Patient &
At the World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2024, a fireside chat featuring Fiorella Gagliardi, President of VICARE GU organisation in Argentina, and Marie Magenhann Cueto, Community Engagement Coordinator at WBCPC, shed light on the need to improve cancer patient rights in Latin America. The conversation focused on the challenges facing bladder cancer patients in the region and how advocacy efforts can improve care and access to essential resources.
The discussion highlighted the unequal access to healthcare services that many patients in Latin America encounter,
The World Bladder Cancer Patient Forum 2024 kicked-off with a keynote presentation by Dr Mario Fernández, Associate Professor of Urology at Clínica Alemana in Santiago, Chile. He highlighted the growing burden of bladder cancer in Latin America, emphasising the region’s unique challenges, such as environmental risk factors and gaps in healthcare infrastructure.
Bladder cancer cases in Latin America are rising, with over 23,000 new cases reported in 2022,
