Future Directions in Bladder Cancer Treatment and Research-The Patient Advocates' Perspective.

ABSTRACT

Bladder cancer remains a deadly disease despite recent advances. Research advances should focus on improving quality of life for bladder cancer patients from time of initial diagnosis through end of life, with an emphasis on stratifying patients into appropriate risk categories and developing effective treatments to eliminate the need for bladder removal. Future research priorities should be prevention of disease, improved diagnostics, increased understanding of variant histologies and subgroups and targeting treatments, more effective therapies across disease states, advances in survivorship care to improve quality of life, improved access to clinical trials, and continued partnerships and multidisciplinary collaborations.