Testing after a bladder cancer diagnosis can play an essential role in determining a treatment plan. Urologic oncologist Dr. Michael Poch explains why additional imaging, repeat procedures, and expert pathology reviews may be recommended, and he shares important questions every bladder cancer patient should ask to ensure they receive the most personalized care possible.
Dr. Michael Poch is a urologic oncologist specializing in bladder cancer and prostate cancer at Moffitt Cancer Center. Learn more about Dr. Poch.
Related Resources
Transcript
Katherine Banwell:
Dr. Poch, what testing should patients undergo following a bladder cancer diagnosis?
Dr. Michael Poch:
So, assuming the patient has had a bladder biopsy or a resection of their bladder tumor, again, going back to that stage and grade, we really want to know the extent of the tumor diagnosis. There are some clinical situations where we’ll actually go back in and recommend a repeat TURBT.
A repeat resection of the bladder tumor or the scar to make sure that there’s no further cancer. Additionally, we like to get cross-sectional imaging on patients. Meaning that we like to get CT scans, MRIs, occasionally get PET scans on patients to assess whether there’s cancer outside the bladder itself, and to see if there are additional things that we need to consider regarding the concern for metastatic disease.
Katherine Banwell:
What questions should they be asking about their test results and their treatment plan?
Dr. Michael Poch:
That’s a good question. I think that there are a couple things. Oftentimes, as I work at a cancer center here, we like to have our pathology reviewed by specialty pathologists that look at bladder cancer diagnoses, bladder cancer tissue day in and day out. So, one of the questions is has the pathology been reviewed? There are a couple studies, and even we published one of those, looking at pathology changes from pathologist to pathologist, and noting that there can be a difference there. So, I think it’s important that a geopathologist or a urologic pathologist evaluates the tissue specimen.
That’s number one. I think whether the case has been presented or evaluated in a multidisciplinary tumor board or multidisciplinary clinic I think is also helpful. Whether we’ve got medical oncologists, surgeons, and radiation oncologists involved in some of that care planning I think is also very important.