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Informations: German-based Federation of bladder cancer Patients driving home the message
Transmis par : Admin actif Mardi, 23 Mai 2006 @ 18:22
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Bladder Cancer Screening and Support Groups Are Needet Worldwide
(Atlanta, GA, May 22, 2006) The Federation of bladder cancer Patients (FbcP) at www.bladder-cancer.net based in Berlin, Germany is a global internet organization for patients with bladder cancer. The FbcP is also driving home its message for worldwide awareness of bladder cancer, literally via a "Bladder Cancermobile". Detlef Höwing, a German journalist, was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2002. He now drives his Bladder Cancermobile throughout Germany to encourage education and the development of self-help groups for this cancer.
"Through the website, Bladder Cancermobile and other activities, we hope to encourage more support groups where cancer patients help cancer patients through the exchange of current health reports and therapeutic updates relevant to this disease," said Detlef Höwing, FbcP encourages the exchange of communication on a worldwide basis that includes patients and clinicians.
 Now Höwing is taking his message global to the more than 13.000 urologists attending the 2006 annual meeting of the American Urological Association, held in Atlanta, GA.
"As a reporter, I am interested in learning about worldwide bladder cancer research developments and treatments; as an advocate, I hope to encourage more awareness of bladder cancer education worldwide."
"After I was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2002, I wanted to exchange views personally with other patients and search for self-help groups in Germany," said Höwing.
By 2004 Höwing had created the "online-journal human & cancer" at www.mensch-und-krebs.de , as a project of the Selbsthilfe Harnblasenkrebs e.V. (Support federation of bladder cancer), www.selbsthilfe-harnblasenkrebs.de in Germany. He published various articles in German and English about cancer. The idea for the www.bladder-cancer.net website and the organization originated at the 57th urologic cangress, held in Düsseldorf, Germany in September 2005.
 Höwing reports that more and more individuals are using the worldwide web for information. Visits to www.bladder-cancer.net (the offical site of FbcP) and the other sites of the organization and its projects total approximately 100.000 visits each mounth. "That's good news," says Höwing, "but there is much work to be done to drive home the message that more adults need to be aware of the bladder cancer risk factors, namely smoking and occupation exposure to chemical and dyes, and the key symptom, blood in the urine."
"My dream is that all people (bladder cancer patients) in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, and other Countries can have opportunity to publish articles about their experiences, activities and meetings, and would be able to receive and exchange information about the newest research in the field, both in English and their own language."
Bladder Cancer Statistics from Germany
- In Germany, 400.000 people sicken anually from cancer
- According to the newest values reported from the Robert Koch Institute, the number of newly diagnosed bladder cancer patients is on rise in Germany:
- 16.000 cases reported in 2000
- 24.700 cases reported in 2004
- The share of the invasive and palliative tumors remains unchanged during a 40-year period, 33 percent.
- Cancer-mortality can be reduced by up to 50% with provision-measures and can be reduced by up to 10% with early diagnosis-measures.
Comments about self-help groups in Germany
Althouth the innovative treatment of bladder cancer progresses, the work of cancer-support groups will increasingly gain importance in the next years.
"Without life-courage and psychological support and care, the best tumor-therapy cannot work successfully. The cancer-self-help madde itself to the task, to help, to provide courage, and to achieve practical help," said Ulla Schmidt, the federal minister for health of Germany. "The self-help is an essential part of our public health... the people in the support groups fulfill tasks, which supplement the proffessional offers of the medical supply in deverse and effective age, where people, which shar their experiences with others, commit here."
Mission of the FbcP
The Selbsthilfe Harnblasenkrebs e.V. faced the task along with the Federation of bladder cancer Patients (FbcP) through the enlightenment of the population and the support of meaningful early diagnosis measures, to lower the number of the people, with which an advanced bladder cancer is diagnosed and of the people, that will often die of this disease. For the concerned people, also their families, we offer a forum to share information and experiences. Furthermore, we take part in clinical research projects, where we work together with leding German clinics, like the Charite, Berlin.
The FbcP has supported initiatives, like those from Dr. Gerson Lüdecke, expert for urine-tumor marker studies from the University clinic in Giessen. Dr. Lüdecke spoke recently at the German cancer congress and EAU about the necessity of a provision for care of the bladder carcinoma, especially under consideration of inclusive screenings of risk groups of bladder cancer. Dr. Lüdecke said:
"We can improve the diagostics of the bladder carcinoma through a structure reorientation. Risk adapted screening is one of the most important points in the cancer provision surely in order to get costs and usefulness effectiveness."
For more information, contact:
FbcP c/o Detlef Höwing,
Quickborner Str.71,
13439 Berlin, GERMANY
email: info@bladder-cancer.net
www.bladder-cancer.net
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