Kyle A. Richards, MD, assistant professor, University of Wisconsin, discusses unanswered questions regarding the treatment of patients with bladder cancer.

There have not been major advancements in bladder cancer over the last few decades: survival has remained stagnant and there continues to be a lack of approved therapies. Therefore, there are several areas of improvement in the field of bladder cancer, Richards explains.

For the future, Richard envisions more targeted therapies being available for patients. There is promising data from the Cancer Genome Atlas, which shows that researchers can individualize each patient’s bladder cancer and tailor treatments to those patients.

Videos

Kyle A. Richards, MD, assistant professor, University of Wisconsin, discusses unanswered questions regarding the treatment of patients with bladder cancer.


Dr. Richards on Unanswered Questions in Treating Bladder Cancer

Kyle A. Richards, MD, assistant professor, University of Wisconsin, discusses a retrospective analysis of the association between urinary tract infections (UTI) and worse outcomes in patients with bladder cancer from a Medicare database analysis.

A recent study used Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Medicare data to examine a cohort of patients with bladder cancer. Researchers analyzed the symptoms patients presented with and if it was a hematuria or UTI claim, as well as the time frame from symptom presentation to diagnosis.

Researchers then went forward to examine the outcomes of these patients and if they varied, based on time of diagnosis and presented symptoms, Richards explains. 

Data showed that women who presented with a UTI claim had worse pathology and survival outcomes compared to women with hematuria. There was a similar association with men enrolled in the study; however, the association was greater in women.

View more from the 2015 AUA Annual Meeting

Kyle A. Richards, MD, assistant professor, University of Wisconsin, discusses the association between urinary tract infections (UTI) and worse bladder cancer outcomes in the Medicare population.

Kyle A. Richards, MD

Articles

Dr. Richards on Unanswered Questions in Treating Bladder Cancer

Dr. Richards on Urinary Tract Infections Associated With Worse Bladder Cancer Outcomes