Transcript: What to Expect with a Radical Cystectomy, Part 3

August 12, 2024

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Voice over:

This is Bladder Cancer Matters, the podcast for bladder cancer patients, caregivers, advocates, and medical and research professionals. It’s brought to you by the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network, otherwise known as BCAN. BCAN works to increase public awareness about bladder cancer, advances bladder cancer research, and provides educational and support services for bladder cancer patients and their loved ones. To learn more, please visit BCAN.org.

Rick Bangs:

Hi, I’m Rick Bangs, the host of Bladder Cancer Matters, a podcast for, by, and about the bladder cancer community. I’m also a survivor of muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The proud owner of a 2006 model-year neobladder. And a patient advocate supporting cancer research at the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network, or as many call it, BCAN, produces of this podcast.

I’m pleased to welcome today’s guest, Frank Boyer. Frank was diagnosed with high-grade stage four bladder cancer in April, 2023. Following two months of intensive chemotherapy and a robotic radical cystectomy in 2023, Frank has been Cancer-free. Frank retired in 2017 after 46 years in telecommunications and IT, where he honed his skills at building great teams before applying those same skills, along with a little luck to his medical team. He has served as a director on educational, charitable, and private boards. Frank attributes, his progress in beating cancer to his wonderful network of family and friends, including Nancy, his wife of nearly 54 years, their children and spouses, and their amazing 11 grandchildren, his outstanding medical teams, his faith and avoiding despair by focusing on the blessings he has received throughout 75 years of a wonderful life. Since being declared cancer-free, Frank has returned to his active ways, which include biking, hiking, cross-country skiing, tennis, golf, and traveling. He’s in the process of joining the BCAN Survivor to Survivor team and is looking forward to finding other ways to give back to the community. Frank, thanks for joining our podcast.

Frank Boyer:

Thank you, Rick. And I appreciate the opportunity to do so.

Rick Bangs:

We are excited to have you here. You were diagnosed with stage four bladder cancer just last spring. So, talk a little bit about what your symptoms were and how did your diagnosis come about?

Frank Boyer:

So, I had been an individual in very good health, so it came as quite a surprise. It started with my primary physician of nearly 20 years, who found through an annual physical, blood in my urine. And that led to appointments with urologists and ultimately, a cystoscopy to evaluate what was going on. And during that process, we discovered that I had suspicious traces of carcinoma. And nothing conclusive, but it led to a second cystoscopy with an actual surgeon who also did some work at my prostate. And at that time, we discovered that indeed I did have high-grade, stage four cancer, bladder cancer. And that’s really how it all began.

Rick Bangs:

So, no symptoms before your annual physical when your urinalysis showed some blood in the ear?

Frank Boyer:

There were no symptoms. I was an individual in very good health, so it was very surprising. The only medical treatment I received in most of those years was medication to control my blood pressure, which had been under control for 20-plus years. So, no, it was quite a surprise.

Rick Bangs:

Yeah. Okay. And what about risk factors? You said you were healthy going in, but did you have any risk factors?

Frank Boyer:

No, no family history of cancer and nothing that would’ve clued me into it whatsoever. And so, no, I thought I was just a healthy 75-year-old at the time, 74-year-old gentleman enjoying retirement and life with his grandchildren.

Rick Bangs:

Wow. Wow. Okay. So, now you’ve got this diagnosis and it’s stage four. So, how did you decide on the right doctor, the right hospital, and the right treatments?

Frank Boyer:

So, my family has a lot of medical people in it. I have a son who’s a doctor. I have a son-in-law who’s a doctor. My wife is a nurse. And my wife had made it clear all along that if either of us ever got cancer, we would go to MD Anderson for treatments. However, what we really focused on was putting together the very best team that we could. And my disposition going in was surrounding myself with the very best medical team possible. I had a friend who recommended a urologist, and that friend was a bladder cancer survivor himself. And so, that led me to UT Southwestern.

Rick Bangs:

Now, let me ask you, so where are you living? Because UT Southwestern, if I’m not mistaken, is in Dallas and MD Anderson is in Houston.

Frank Boyer:

Correct.

Rick Bangs:

So, I’m thinking somewhere in Texas.

Frank Boyer:

Correct. I live in Dallas, Texas.

Rick Bangs:

Okay.

Frank Boyer:

So, Houston would’ve been a lot less convenient, but that wasn’t going to prevent us from getting the very best care possible. But when I first went to UT Southwestern, I was amazed at how attentive they were. They immediately performed the cystoscopy, discovered the suspicious traces of carcinoma, set me up with the urologist. Actually, I had done some of my homework and had arranged for my urologist to be the chairman of the department who is a world renowned urologist. Very highly regarded around the world. And however, once it became apparent through the cystoscopy, the first one, that surgery and robotic surgery might potentially be in the mix.

Through talking to my PA, we decided to change urologist, nothing against the chairman of the department whatsoever, but with another very established and respected physician who was pretty skilled in robotic surgery. So, robotic surgery entered into the mix very early on as a possibility. And she’s been in the operating room with multiple doctors, the PA, and recommended Dr. Solomon Waldo, who I quickly discovered has an excellent academic credentials, is also one of those rare urologists who also did a fellowship in oncology. And in talking to him, discovered what a brilliant individual he was.

So, with that, I knew I had the right urologist and surgeon who was skilled in both urology and oncology to be my primary urology doctor and surgeon. And then through consultation with him, I told him I’m looking for the very best thing possible. I shared with him our mindset that the best oncologists tend to be at MD Anderson. But he said, “Let me set you up someone I think you’re going to like very much.” And he did. And he set me up with Dr. Suzanne Cole, who is the medical director at the Simmons Cancer Center at UT Southwestern, who is perhaps the most amazing doctor I’ve ever encountered in my life. She is phenomenal. And interestingly, she did her fellowship at MD. Anderson, is well-connected with the team of physicians there. So, I felt like I was bringing one of the best that MD Anderson had to offer directly onto my team, while keeping it local within the Dallas area.

So, she is highly skilled, obviously great leadership skills, becoming the medical director there, and one who I quickly understood treats the whole person, a very unique quality. And I was very impressed with the fact that she had spent seven or eight years prior to that working in small communities to treat those who were less fortunate to find the very best facilities or had to travel great distances to get there. And was very impressed with her whole focus on taking care of her patients.

Rick Bangs:

Yeah, I know Dr. Cole has a very keen interest in the community setting, so that all jives with what I know about her, so that’s wonderful. So, she’s your Med-Onc, and then you had your urologic oncologist. So, we’re going to talk now about teams. So, you mentioned that a couple times, I mentioned it in the intro, you’ve mentioned it here, and you talked about how important it is in your corporate life to build great teams. So, who’s on your team? So, we already talked about the Med-Onc and the urologic oncologist or the surgeon. So, who else is on your team? What disciplines do they come from? And what has each contributed to your journey?

Frank Boyer:

This is the amazing part, because Dr. Cole, when I say she treats the whole person, she has, on her staff, are available dieticians, psychologists, social workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, another doctor who focuses on rehabbing you to get you back functioning physically in a similar way that you were before the cancer occurred. And I met with all of those individuals and received treatment from all of those individuals as part of the team. In addition, while going through chemotherapy, I met with many nurses, technicians, and everyone who runs a cancer center from the reception at Sundown, all of whom were just amazing in how attentive they were to the patients, to your wellbeing, to your care. So, that’s why I say Dr. Cole is an amazing leader as well.

And what I quickly discovered is all of those team members raved about Dr. Cole, raved about the situation there. It made me feel like I was their most important, and in many cases, single patient, even though I would see many other patients there. So, it was that amazing leadership and amazing teamwork, working together throughout the processes. One would call on the other to come and be a second witness to the drugs I was about to receive or whatever. And I have worked in the corporate world for 40 plus years, 45 years, 46, and I pride myself on building great teams. And so, that was really important when it comes to my own medical treatment. But I’ve never been more impressed with a team that works more collaboratively and sharing, focusing, helping each other in caring for their patient than what I experienced going through this process. It was inspiration. Absolutely amazing.

Rick Bangs:

This is really wonderful, and this is something every patient should have, this multidisciplinary team that you described, and you hit pretty much all the high points. And I assume maybe a radiation oncologist was part of your team. But that’s so important to get the multidisciplinary team. And the way you’re describing how they worked and how they interacted with each other and interact with you, that’s just terrific.

Frank Boyer:

Actually, I did not go through radiation, Rick, so I did not have any specialists in that area. And among the nurses, another thing is they were very skillful at educating me and treating me on how to manage an ostomy. So, just everything you can imagine.

Rick Bangs:

Yes. So, Stoneman nurses is one of the players then, too?

Frank Boyer:

Yes, correct.

Rick Bangs:

Yeah, those roles are so critical, both before your surgery, because they’re the ones that help define where the stoma is going to be placed. And even those of us with neobladders are marked because we may not get a neobladder. So, they’re critical in putting it in the right place and making sure that the way you bend and where you wear your belt. And they know all the tips and tricks on actually managing an ileal conduit. Those folks are a critical part of the team.

Frank Boyer:

They are.

Rick Bangs:

Okay. So, you had chemo before your radical cystectomy. So, how did you cope with chemo?

Frank Boyer:

I have to tell you, I am so blessed. Going through chemo, well, it was very challenging, but I would receive four drugs over a day and a half during the infusion cycle every two weeks until I received four full treatments. And during the infusion itself, I suffered no pain, no negative reaction. I was in a infusion room, I had a nurse or two dedicated to me throughout the process. At every session, my wife was there. And one of my children, I have five amazing children, and one of them was there for every session. By the way, most of them traveled from out of state and to be there with me for that session.

Rick Bangs:

So, these are not local children?

Frank Boyer:

They’re not local. They came in from Washington D.C, Louisville, Kentucky, the Bay Area of California, Austin, Texas. That’s where they came from to be with me. And it’s really something for those sessions. My wife would bring old albums of the kids, whoever was there from when they were born through card day. Old report cards, old papers they had written as a third-grader, spelling tests, pictures growing up and all of that. And there was more laughter coming out of my infusion room for that day and a half than you could ever imagine.

And I felt so blessed because I know that was not the experience of everyone else, but it was fascinating in the nurses and other medical people that were there would chime in, we’d learn about them. One of them, for example, was in the next two weeks, you’re going to have a baby. And so, we learned all about that and brought them a little gift later on. And it was just, we built that rapport and it was inspirational to feel that care, that love, and reflecting back on my life with my children and my wife that brought me to that stage. Now, a few days later is when the negative reaction would start to occur.

But I went into it with a very clear mindset. Number one, I felt I was the most blessed 74-year-old in the country. Having an amazing mother and father, sister, family, my wife, my children, my grandchildren, and an extensive network of friends who later on just came to care for me. They would visit me amazingly from Arizona, from Georgia, from other places to come and visit, which was amazing. So, that really helped me get through it as well. And I went in with the mindset that I know this could be end of life, but having lived 74 blessed years, if that’s what came, I would be ready for it. I was never angry, not for a minute. I never asked why me, not for a second, because I’ve been too blessed, why not me? And took a mindset day by day. So, getting through the tough times, it was day by day. I never was looking out in despair to what might happen.

And I was also very determined to get through those four cycles without any delay. If mind could rule over matter, which it can’t necessarily in this case, but I was bound and determined for that to happen. At of those cycles, I’d meet with Dr. Cole, my oncologist, and do all the preliminary tests to say, you’re ready. The last thing I wanted to hear is we can’t do it. So, I was just absolutely determined to do that. The last cycle was the toughest. It lasted longer than I thought. Not just two weeks, but four weeks. But ultimately it came to an end, and then I was ready for the surgery, the next step.

Rick Bangs:

Wow. So, just curious, did you interact with a nutritionist during your chemo?

Frank Boyer:

I did multiple times. I love sweets.

Rick Bangs:

Who doesn’t?

Frank Boyer:

And I love Italian cooking and Italian food.

Rick Bangs:

Well, who doesn’t?

Frank Boyer:

So, with all of that there, I got a lesson on really the proper things to do. And it’s funny, based on her guidance of what to do, I actually put together a menu of what if I’m going to have breakfast, it’ll be from these four things, this four groupings, and lunch and whatever. And I let my daughters review that. And it included one cookie a day, and I normally [inaudible 00:18:58] that. But when I [inaudible 00:19:03] the list to the dietitian, I omitted the cookies and-

Rick Bangs:

You withheld the cookies?

Frank Boyer:

My kids were there and they said, “Dad, you’re missing something here.” So, she was very helpful. Very, very helpful. And I changed my eating habits during that period and have tried to be better about it since then. So, she was a great help. She was wonderful.

Rick Bangs:

That’s great. That’s great. Okay, so now you had a robotic cystectomy. And you talked a little bit about this, but help us understand, did you specifically seek out a robotic? Or did that just happen and what was that surgery and recovery like for you?

Frank Boyer:

So, my medical treatment plan was put together jointly by Dr. Waldo, my urologist, and Dr. Cole, my oncologist. They determined the medical drugs that I would be taking through chemo, the length of treatment, the timing, and then the robotic surgery. And they jointly presented that. I had learned about robotic surgery through BCAN, searching some of their websites and other websites to learn more about what that was like. And as I had mentioned, that was finding someone who was particularly skilled at that as my urologist was important early on, which led me to Dr. Waldo. So, I didn’t just fall into it. They recommended it. I did research to find out about it. BCAN was a huge benefit in all of that. My children, especially my daughter from Austin, did thorough research of that, and is almost probably one of the most individual who’s frequented BCAN website more than just about anyone. And it was very helpful to discover that.

So, with that, we were determined to do that. The benefits were that it’s less invasive and a quicker recovery, and typically, fewer complications if done correctly afterwards. So, I was convinced that I had the right treatment plan, the right doctors, the right surgeon. And can’t really have to tell you, it all proved to be correct, because I went through the surgery seven and a half hours. When I came out, my wife came in and said it’s all over. And I looked at her and said, “Nah, I didn’t think I’d gone into the operating room yet.” And it was stunning. And that day, I walked twice, I stayed in the house-

Rick Bangs:

Twice?

Frank Boyer:

Twice that day, that evening. And then three times each of the next three days and then was released. And I’ve got to tell you, Rick, I did not take a pain pill, a narcotic pain pill after I was discharged from the hospital to this day. I was discharged, I think on August 27th of 2023. To this day, I’ve not taken a narcotic pain pill. And I attribute the outcome of the surgery to the brilliance of my urologist, Dr. Waldo, as well as the treatment of the entire medical team, and the part that Dr. Cole played. But it’s amazing. I don’t know why I’m so blessed, but no pain, able to get up quickly. I have to tell you, my wife as a nurse, she was telling me long before the surgery, “You’re going to get up and walk immediately.” So, it was a drill in my head by my very caring wife that I needed to get up and walk. So, I did and managed it easily. So, again, why I’m blessed? I don’t know, but I have been.

Rick Bangs:

That’s awesome. That is terrific. So, now, like all of us, you had a choice of urinary diversion and you specifically chose the ileal conduit. And we referenced in your intro active ways. So, I think some people could be surprised at what you’re still doing after having an ileal conduit. So, talk a little bit about that.

Frank Boyer:

Sure. I chose that after considering all the options after Dr. Waldo reviewed those with me. And my sense was this would have fewer complications in the long term typically than some of the others. And my mindset was simply, if that’s what we need to do, that’s what we need to do. And that I would master dealing with a stoma. And that’s proven to be the case. And it is amazing what I can do, because I was very active before all of this. And really starting back early this year, if not sooner, I began trying to get more active again. Once I could get past some of the lingering fatigue, but I hike in the last two weeks as an example.

I’m fortunate, I’m right now in Wyoming and I’ve hiked. I’ve biked 12, 14 miles at a time. I’ve played tennis, I’ve played golf, I’ve walked, I’ve done cross-country skiing back in February. So, I’m able to do all of those things and without limitation. I’m probably not as skilled at them yet as I was before. As I try to become better with my balance. That’s a little bit of a lingering effect. Not crippling by any means, but I’m working to improve my balance. But I do all of those things. And I’ll do more. Will probably go waterboarding soon in the next week or two on the lake and paddleboarding. So, I don’t feel limited. I’m probably not going quite as far and quite as long just yet, but I will. I’m totally determined that I’ll get back to doing all the things for the same duration as I was doing before.

Rick Bangs:

Yeah, I think it’s important for people to understand that there’s not a lot of things that you can’t do after you’ve had an ileal conduit. There’s some exceptions, but certainly there’s not as many as people might think.

Frank Boyer:

I’ve gone swimming too, by the way. I’m a little more self-conscious because I wear a belt to hide the bag and everything. But that’s just comes with the territory as well. But I can swim as well.

Rick Bangs:

Sure. Okay. So, now my understanding is that you were originally led to believe that you had early stage cancer. Again, you had no symptoms going in, but your diagnosis is stage four, which is advanced metastatic bladder cancer. And historically, there haven’t been a lot of treatment options for those patients. And so, as a result, you experienced some very difficult times. So, how did you navigate that? Because you’ve talked about how blessed you are and your attitude is just first-rate. So, how did you navigate that? And what would you want other people to know?

Frank Boyer:

So, it was a surprise because I was so healthy to begin with. And the first cystoscopy, the PA didn’t see anything, but took samples of my tissues. Which under the microscope revealed the suspicious traces of carcinoma. So, that’s how it started. Going through the treatments and follow up, the mindset again was day at a time, stay focused on that. Don’t let the potential negative outcomes down the road interfere with making the most of every day and staying focused on that. Avoiding anger, avoiding why me, and feeling sorry for myself, again, because I felt so blessed. So, I think that mindset really helped me get through it along with the tremendous support of so many people.

It is very touching to have so many. People might expect it with a large family, never to be taken for granted, but it was clearly there. But so many friends in that that I had come into contact with over the years, reaching out, caring so much, coming to see me and all of that, those were the things that really helped. And even though it’s high grade, stage four, it is localized, which has a better chance of recovery. So, that gave me a sense of hope.

And today, if I could comment, the one thing I hope I can convey to others is high grade, stage four, at least local cancer, doesn’t have to be the end. There’s hope. Building a great team, surrounding yourself with great people, embracing the right attitude, taking it a day by day, and really following the directions and guidance of your medical team, and not letting the negativism overwhelm you by any means, keeping it distant, are the keys to success. And there is hope. And hopefully, no one has to go through this alone. And that’s again why I’m very blessed. But I hope and pray for others that they don’t have to go through it alone.

Rick Bangs:

You’ve given such great advice here. And to your point, there’s so much good happening with this diagnosis that wasn’t available even a year or two ago. It’s just exploding. So, there’s definitely more options, and people should definitely make sure they seek those newer options out, because we’re seeing some really promising results. I want to talk about BCAN. So, when did you discover BCAN? And how did it help you as a patient?

Frank Boyer:

So, both Dr. Waldo and Dr. Cole made me aware of BCAN. And members of their team made me aware of BCAN. And so, my youngest daughter, Katie, was very involved, thrust herself into my treatment plans, and educate herself and educate me.

Rick Bangs:

She’s your research assistant, right?

Frank Boyer:

She works for the Department of Fish and Wildlife and is a resource conservationist. But her love was tremendous and she really helped me. So, when you read some of that, it can be a little scary. So, she would help me manage through that or she’d read it, and she would manage how I would take on each of the next steps about the research. And she was really active on BCAN, and I became very active early on after the advice and the guidance in the direction of Dr. Waldo and Dr. Cole. And my wife as a nurse, was very involved in researching it as well. So, BCAN was a godsend. It was so beneficial. The best single source we could find. We’d also research places like the Mayo Clinic, and MDM, and other websites that publish information about it. But BCAN is an excellent source. Excellent.

Rick Bangs:

So, I mentioned in the intro you are pursuing Survivor to Survivor program. So, talk a little bit about that.

Frank Boyer:

Interestingly, I don’t want this to sound self-serving whatsoever, so I hope it doesn’t, but cancer can make you a better person. Having gone through this feeling the love from everyone, my goal in life renewed refreshed is to become a man for others to the extent that I possibly can, and to help others. It’s part of my motivation for doing this podcast with you, Rick, because I hope in some way, this can inspire or help and motivate others, particularly those with advanced stages of cancer, to really know that there’s hope and a pathway forward for them to get better. So, that’s really important to me.

Rick Bangs:

Yeah, wonderful. What about, there was a BCAN walk in Dallas, I believe?

Frank Boyer:

There was. Yes. I’m sorry, I should have talked because the Survivor to Survivor program is one way that I can help being [inaudible 00:32:41] for others. My youngest daughter, the active one, the particularly active one, on BCAN in Austin, made me aware of a walk in Austin.

Rick Bangs:

Oh, okay.

Frank Boyer:

We assembled a team. I’m very proud to say we were the number one in raising contributions for BCAN in that walk. We went there. I was expecting there’d be 20 or 30 people. There were 130 people there.

Rick Bangs:

Oh my God.

Frank Boyer:

It was amazing. And we went on the walk [inaudible 00:33:13]-

Rick Bangs:

That’s terrific.

Frank Boyer:

… five patients. The others were support. There were half a dozen or so doctors there as well. And I really learned more about the organization. And I approached BCAN representative, Bernadette, is it Fitzsimmons? About the Survivor to Survivor program. I had also reached out to another survivor. Excellent feedback when I was going through chemo really helped me. So, I wanted to join that team and be a part of it, and hopefully might even be able to set up a walk in Dallas. I was quite surprised as big as Dallas is that there’s no walk yet in Dallas. But it was a tremendous experience. It was very inspirational, very heartwarming and heartfelt to be among so many wonderful people. So, it even brings to life the makeup of BCAN and what BCAN can do for others by sharing that experience with them. It was really a cool experience.

Rick Bangs:

Yeah, I mean, part of BCAN’s name is network. And it’s just this very tight network crosses all the stakeholders on the patient and family side, and the clinicians, and the researchers just wonderful.

Frank Boyer:

It is.

Rick Bangs:

Being cancer-free is a wonderful outcome with your diagnosis. What are your biggest challenges today and where do you go from here?

Frank Boyer:

That’s a very good question. So, I really try to stay kind of in the moment from a medical viewpoint. The mental challenge is probably the biggest challenge now because you get almost daily reminders of what cancer can do with different people passing away. It’s almost in the news it seems every day. A lot of it with celebrities perhaps, and well-known figures, just three in the past few days here. But friends as well and others, and even strangers that you know that it can be life-ending. So, it’s hard to combat those daily reminders. Without those, I don’t think I’d be thinking about that or have that in my face, so to speak.

But it’s there. So, it puts me in a little bit of a mindset of really planning for my family, my kids, my wife, my grandkids, and so on and so forth, to make sure they’re well taken care of. And I don’t want them dwelling on this. And so, it’s overcoming that mental challenge when these things pop up and appear so often. And I feel so sad for those who’ve lost their lives and their loved ones who’ve had to go through that with them. So, that’s probably the toughest part. But I also pray every day, I have deep faith, and that really helps. And trying to stay focused on the moment and not let those moments dwell for long. That’s probably my biggest challenge today. It’s not physical, it’s not treatment for our problem areas physically. That’s not it. It’s just managing that day to day. Fortunately, I have great support that helps me with all that as well.

Rick Bangs:

Yeah, that’s very understandable. And as you’ve pointed out several times in our talk today, you have this wonderful network, which is absolutely critical. So, that’s very helpful. Any final thoughts?

Frank Boyer:

The final thought is really, I hope and pray that others in this situation, number one, realize even with a very severe case of bladder cancer, there’s hope. And I wish them the best. If I could help any of them with their medical teams. I’ve said who my medical team is, I think they’re phenomenal. I hope and pray that they can find the same kind of support in their families, and in their friends, and in their medical team to help them manage through it. I encourage them to not let the spare set in and take it a day at a time, really focus on that. And I wish them all the very best and hope that their experience is a very positive one.

Rick Bangs:

Very insightful. So, Frank, I want to thank you for giving us a window into the experience of someone diagnosed with stage four bladder cancer and your amazing insights into how to work through that diagnosis with hope.

Frank Boyer:

Thank you, Rick. I appreciate the opportunity.

Rick Bangs:

If you’d more information on bladder cancer, please visit the BCAN website, www.bcan.org. In case people wanted to get in touch with you, could you share an email or a Twitter handle so that people could do that?

Frank Boyer:

Sure. They can reach for me by email. It’s Frank.boyer@sbcglobal.net. Let me spell that. It’s frank.boyert@sbcglobal.net.

Rick Bangs:

Just a reminder that if you would like more information about bladder cancer, you can contact the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network at 1888-901-2226. That’s all the time we have today. Be sure to like, comment, and subscribe to this podcast so we have your feedback. Thank you for listening, and we’ll be back soon with another interesting episode of Bladder Cancer Matters. Thanks again, Frank.

Voice over:

Thank you for listening to Bladder Cancer Matters, a podcast by the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network, or BCAN. BCAN works to increase public awareness about bladder cancer, advanced bladder cancer research, and provide educational and support services for bladder cancer patients. For more information about this podcast and additional information about bladder cancer, please visit BCAN.org.