Current Treatment Guidelines for Bladder Cancer

EP: 1.Incidence and Typical Characteristics of Newly Diagnosed Bladder Cancer

EP: 2.Treatment Journey for a Patient With Bladder Cancer

EP: 3.Treating Bladder Cancer in Community Settings

EP: 4.Multidisciplinary Care in Bladder Cancer

EP: 5.Support Resources for Patients With Bladder Cancer

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EP: 6.Current Treatment Guidelines for Bladder Cancer

EP: 7.Frontline Therapy for Non-Metastatic Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer

EP: 8.High-Risk Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer: Frontline Therapy

EP: 9.Emerging Novel Therapies for Nonmetastatic Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer

EP: 10.Active Surveillance in Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer

Leonard G. Gomella, MD: With that broad introduction what we’d like to do in the next couple of minutes is now get into first-line treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer and non-metastatic muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Sam, we’re going to have you comment at first about the interaction between urologists and oncologists, following guidelines. We have guidelines from NCCN [National Comprehensive Cancer Network], AUA [American Urological Association], ASCO [American Society of Clinical Oncology], other organizations. How do you think guidelines play into the daily care of patients with bladder cancer?

Sam S. Chang, MD, MBA: I think they are becoming increasingly used by the urologists in terms of non-muscle invasive disease. Honestly, for invasive disease and for metastatic disease I think the guidelines put out by the NCCN are widely used or at least referred to by our oncology colleagues. Urologists probably aren’t as familiar with the NCCN guidelines but all of them are honestly pretty similar in terms of what they’re outlining and what their strategies are. In fact, the AUA guidelines are actually AUA, ASTRO [American Society for Radiation Oncology], SUO [Society of Urologic Oncology], ASCO guidelines all combined for invasive disease and I think they provide a good framework for urologists and are becoming increasingly used because the landscape is really changing, and there are many more options than there used to be even just a decade ago.

Leonard G. Gomella, MD: Yes. I think in our training programs I think we’re increasingly trying to follow guidelines and not sort of shooting from the hip so I do think these guidelines are becoming very, very important. I know our oncology colleagues here at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center are very regimented on following NCCN guidelines as you pointed out.

Transcript edited for clarity.