Urological Cancer Working Group

The key objective of the working group is to enable interested parties to join our ongoing urological cancer work and share their ideas and expertise. It provides not only a space for discussing further avenues of focus, but also a platform for streamlining activities that promote full engagement and empowerment for those with urological cancer. This includes cancers of the bladder, kidney and prostate. Each carries its own traits, facts and figures, but each highlights the same lack of awareness and the need for early detection and more research and awareness surrounding the symptoms and causes.

Bladder cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the Western world, and with more than 151 000 people being diagnosed each year much more needs to be done. Kidney cancer, although relatively rare, is the most lethal of the genitourinary cancers (disease of the urinary tract or male genital tract) and is predicted to rise 22% worldwide by 2020 due to the risk factors such as obesity and high blood pressure increases. Finally, prostate cancer is also on the rise and is the third most common cause of cancer death for men in Europe. These facts alone highlight the critical need for more education, engagement and empowerment.

In order to better represent patients in the urological cancer patient community, ECPC relies on the collaboration of experts in urological cancer patient organisations in Europe. This working group aims to ensure that cancer patient organisations will continue to prioritise activities to promote awareness, collaboration and continued research and support. Alongside members, ECPC has co-authored a White Paper on Prostate Cancer, a Policy Paper on PSA Screening for Prostate Cancer, a Scientific and Policy Briefing on Kidney Cancer and a White Paper on Bladder Cancer. Each aims to highlight the problem and offer a solution.

The key objective is to give ECPC members, and non-members with an interest, the opportunity to contribute and collaborate. The platform will also enable members to shape further topics to discuss that may be of interest to patients and to provide practical and effective instruments to react to European and national policy changes. Specifically, the group is responsible for ECPC activities during the Bladder Cancer Awareness Campaign and Prostate Cancer Awareness Campaign, while further developing and disseminating patient information on urological cancer at national and European level.