To mark Bladder Cancer Awareness Month this May, bladder health brand Jude has conducted new research into how much charitable funding is allocated to different types of cancer in the UK.

The findings reveal a stark disparity: some of the most deadly and prevalent cancers are receiving the least support. 

By analysing the UK charities register, Jude examined how much money is being channelled into charities dedicated to specific cancers and uncovered a pattern of neglect.

Bladder cancer, one of the UK’s most common and deadliest cancers, receives just £94 per case in dedicated charity funding. 

A fraction of what is allocated to other, less prevalent cancers.

In contrast:

• Testicular cancer receives £5,354 per case

• Prostate cancer: £1,288 per case

• Breast cancer: £1,441 per case

All three have significantly higher survival rates than bladder cancer. The survival rate for bladder cancer in the UK, according to Cancer Research, is just 46%.

Here are the full results:

The forgotten cancer

Despite affecting over 10,000 people a year in the UK, bladder cancer is largely absent from public awareness campaigns and media coverage. 

This imbalance raises urgent questions about how cancer funding is prioritised and whether public awareness plays too large a role in determining where resources go. 

While cancers like testicular and prostate benefit from high-profile campaigns such as Movember, and breast cancer receives consistent backing from large-scale initiatives like Race for Life and the Pink Ribbon Foundation, bladder cancer remains largely absent from the national conversation. 

According to Peony Li, founder of Jude, that silence is part of the problem and one we need to break:

“There’s a squeamishness around bladder health that doesn’t exist with other cancers.” 

“We’ve seen how powerful public campaigns can be in raising money, awareness, and support for conditions like breast, prostate, and testicular cancer. 

“Bladder cancer deserves that same energy and visibility. 

“We need to bring it into the spotlight, start speaking plainly about the symptoms, and give it the funding it needs to improve outcomes. Right now, too many people are dying simply because it’s a topic we don’t want to talk about.

“We’re more comfortable funding things we’re more comfortable talking about.”

Peony Li, Founder at Jude.