Dennis Douda: 80,000 new cases of bladder cancer are diagnosed each year in the United States. Because it’s a cancer with a high risk of recurrence, patients must remain vigilant, says Mayo Clinic urologist Lance Mynderse.
Lance A. Mynderse, MD: It involves repeated X-rays. It involves repeated examinations using cystoscopic instruments. It involves cytological analysis of urine. This is done for life.
Dennis Douda: Minimally invasive cystoscopic surgery allows the inside of the bladder to be examined with white light and a camera. Remove suspicious tissue. But Dr. Mynderse has reason to believe that even the best doctors can leave cancer behind.
Lance A. Mynderse, MD: If you look at the appearance of a bladder tumor, it is usually a flesh-colored tumor, Very similar to the rest of the bladder lining.
Dennis Douda: Mayo Clinic is the leading research facility in the United States of America in Fluorescence-Guided Cystoscopy A study of 28 institutions was conducted. Cysview, a light-responsive drug, was placed in the bladder and absorbed by tumor tissue. Adding special filters and lenses…
Lance A. Mynderse, MD: and then you can flip a switch on the camera and it will turn the light from white to blue. And that blue light interacts with chemicals that bind to the tumor, emitting red fluorescence.
DENIS DUDDA: Dr. Mynderse said fluorescence allowed researchers to find more papillary or prominent tumors, and 32 percent of cancers in situ, meaning it can be removed before it spreads. This means that bladder cancer recurrence rates dropped by nearly 20 percent after nine months of treatment, and tumor-free survival increased by an average of seven to eight months after four years of treatment.
Lance A. Mynderse, MD: If you can do something to interrupt the process, they will Forever grateful.
Dennis Douda: For Mayo Clinic, my name is Dennis Douda.
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