A bladder cancer diagnosis can feel overwhelming, but asking the right questions early can help you make informed decisions about your care. Dr. Michael Poch, a urologic oncologist, discusses the importance of understanding your cancer’s stage and grade, the benefits of including a care partner in decisions, and why speaking up about symptoms and side effects are essential to getting the support you need.
Dr. Michael Poch is a urologic oncologist specializing in bladder cancer and prostate cancer at Moffitt Cancer Center. Learn more about Dr. Poch.
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Transcript
Katherine Banwell:
Dr. Poch, when someone is facing a bladder cancer diagnosis, what key questions should they be asking their healthcare team early on?
Dr. Michael Poch:
I think the most important question for patients with a new diagnosis of bladder cancer is really the stage and the grade of the tumor. We typically treat bladder cancers based upon that stage and grade. So, whether tumors are high grade or low grade. Whether tumors are just on that superficial layer of the inside of the bladder.
Whether they go deep into the muscle layer of the bladder. And that really sort of distinguishes how the care is driven. I think it’s almost important to know a lot of other questions about their patient. What their priorities are. What their bladder function is like because that also helps us drive treatment based upon some of those answers. Previous surgeries. Those kinds of questions or those kinds of answers. That information is also very important for us when we’re making treatment decisions and pathways.
Katherine Banwell:
Why is it essential for patients and care partners to participate in conversations about their care plan?
Dr. Michael Poch:
Well, I think it’s always important for patients to bring an extra set of ears when they come for a visit. Anytime a patient hears the word “cancer,” the mind sort of freezes up. Their brain goes blank. And so, they forget to ask questions. They’re sort of focused on just having the diagnosis itself.
And typically won’t ask a lot of those follow-up questions about what is involved and side effects. What are the complications of surgery, for example. And so, it’s always really important for somebody to bring that extra set of ears. That caregiver, that family member with them. I think that person also can help take notes and also bring up some questions that the patient may not be willing to ask, or may not feel comfortable asking, or may not even remember to ask the physician when they’re seeing them.
Katherine Banwell:
Dr. Poch, let’s talk about communication. Why is it important to share any symptoms or side effects that you may be experiencing with your doctor?
Dr. Michael Poch:
Well, if we don’t know anything or if we don’t know what’s going on, we can’t necessarily help you. So, for example, if you’re having a side effect of treatment, whether that’s intravascular therapy, whether that’s systemic chemotherapy, immunotherapy, antibody drug conjugate therapy; we can’t necessarily help address side effects or symptoms unless we know about them.
So, it’s really important for patients to communicate those symptoms, side effects, issues that they may be undergoing with treatment. If we don’t know that a patient has a postoperative fever, for example, then we don’t know that maybe the patient has a brewing infection that we need to address. So, that communication is utmost in terms of navigating their care plan, as well.