Become a research volunteer
As a bladder cancer patient, your thoughts and opinions can help to make improvements in the treatment and support of other patients and carers. By sharing your experience you could help to make a real impact to the lives of people with bladder cancer.
You’ll get the chance to talk about your own care and know that it could help change the health and wellbeing for not only future patients, but maybe your own too.
Fight Bladder Cancer has helped patients and carers contribute to different types of studies. There have been questionnaires, some short, some in-depth, others have involved a telephone or video interview, or interactive tasks.
Taking part in research studies is not only worthwhile but interesting too.
Research studies include improving early detection methods for bladder cancer, testing new treatments for bladder cancer, and measuring the quality of life after bladder cancer treatment. Bladder cancer patients sit on research steering groups, advise on informed consent forms, join research consortia, as well as directly participating in patient experience studies and focus groups.
Supporter’s story
Alison tells us why she became a research volunteer
"I have been a member of the Fight Bladder Cancer online support group since my diagnosis. When I needed support, I received it from Fight Bladder Cancer along with first hand guidance from fellow patients. I am therefore extremely grateful to this wonderful support group and have made many friends there.
It helps me to come to terms with the fact that I am a bladder cancer patient, to ‘give back’ by supporting financially and perhaps equally as important by also giving information to medical surveys and answer questions posed by medical students.
I can for a brief time, look out from ‘being me’ and think of myself as being promotional and imparting my experiences good and bad so that gains may be made in research. This means that medical professionals may be more understanding when dealing with us and be more patient with their patients.
I would urge more of us to participate in these surveys as it is only by talking with us, those in the know, that a better understanding of bladder cancer may be gained."
How to get involved
To take part in future research opportunities, please fill in our sign-up form. We’ll then be able to let you know of any research studies that may be of interest to you. This would include our own and third party research which we are supporting.
Get in touch
We’ve tried to make the information on this site as accurate as possible. Whilst we have support from medical professionals to review the general medical content of this site, please remember that only your medical team can give you specific advice about your symptoms or illness. Fight Bladder Cancer is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation in Scotland (SC051881), England and Wales (1198773), and was initially established as an unincorporated charity in England and Wales (1157763). It also operates in Northern Ireland.