Bladder Cancer UK's mission is to support bladder cancer patients and their families, raise awareness of the disease in order to improve early diagnosis and outcomes, and to support research into bladder cancer.
Action Bladder Cancer UK (previously Action on Bladder Cancer) was set up in 2009 by a group of urologists and patients who were committed to improving outcomes for bladder cancer patients. Their concern was the low profile of such a common cancer and the lack of both awareness (amongst the public and health professionals) and critical research funding. In its formative years, the charity established itself as a source of information on bladder cancer for both patients and professionals, contributed to a range of consultations and publications and worked to publicise and help establish patient support groups.
It is one of the ten most common cancers in the UK.
Over 20,500 people in the UK are diagnosed each year. Bladder cancer has a high mortality rate and it has the highest recurrence rate of any known cancer - up to 80%. It can affect all ages, both men and women, although it is more common in those over 55. Diagnosis can often be late, particularly in women.
Despite this, bladder cancer is the only top 10 cancer where rates of prognosis are getting worse. It is the most expensive cancer for the NHS to treat (costing £65million annually) yet it only got 0.6% (in 2013-2014) of dedicated research funding.
These facts are what drive our work at Action Bladder Cancer UK.
We want bladder cancer to be recognised as a common cancer and to receive the acknowledgement, level of public awareness, improvements in treatments and medical research investment which it merits and which those with bladder cancer deserve. We want bladder cancer patients to have a voice and the support they and their families require.
| Allen Knight | Trustee & Previous Chair - Patient and advisory panel member |
| Jeremy Crew | Deputy Chair/Treasurer - Consultant Urologist, Urological Surgeon & Senior Lecturer |
| Roger Kockelbergh | Chair - Consultant Urological Surgeon, Honorary Reader in Cancer Studies |
| Paula Allchorne | Trustee - Senior Cancer Nursing Specialist |
| Rik Bryan | Trustee - Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Cancer & Genomic Sciences |
| Peter Harper | Trustee - Oncologist |
| Mark Page | Trustee - Patient |
| Caroline Raw | Trustee - Patient |
| Alexandra Colquhoun | Trustee - Consultant Urologist |
| Jenny Akins | Trustee - Urology Advanced Nurse Practitioner |
Follow us:
