Abstract ADV09: Bladder cancer basics.

Abstract

Abstract The Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network's (BCAN) mission is to increase public awareness about bladder cancer, to advance bladder cancer research, and to provide educational and support services for the bladder cancer community. BCAN works to serve over 520,000 bladder cancer survivors and 73,000 newly diagnosed patients each year in the United States. BCAN engages in many initiatives and programs. BCAN's current initiatives include the Women's Outreach Initiative and Veterans’ Outreach Initiative, which are engaging national task forces to raise awareness of bladder cancer among these constituencies. In patient education and support, BCAN's website: www/bacan.org- is one of the most comprehensive bladder cancer resources on the internet. BCAN also provides free bladder cancer patient education materials including patient tip sheets and a patient handbook-Bladder Cancer Basics for the Newly Diagnosed, which was revised this year and is now available in Spanish. BCAN offers Patient Insight Webinars throughout the year. BCAN also provides a free clinical trial matching service in coordination with Emerging Med, to help people obtain specific information about participating in bladder cancer research trials. BCAN staff answers patient calls and e-mails for more information, resources, and support. BCAN has facilitated the development of in-person bladder cancer support groups around the country and offers access to an online bladder cancer support community. BCAN also offers the Young Investigator Awards, announced this year, for three awards of $100,000 over two years, to increase the understanding of bladder cancer risk, biology, prevention, and treatment while encouraging young investigators to pursue a career in bladder cancer research. BCAN is also engaged in advocacy with staff members and volunteers serving on panels and participating in coalitions. BCAN has coordinated Walks for Bladder Cancer to raise awareness of the disease since 2011, on the first Saturday in May. In 2012, the Walks for Bladder Cancer held on May 5 took place in 60 communities, had more than 5,000 participants and raised more than $275,000. Citation Format: Vanessa Hoffman. Bladder cancer basics. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr ADV09. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-ADV09