What Are Bladder Cancer Guidelines and Why Do They Matters to Patients with Dr. Thomas Flaig

In Episode 44 of Bladder Cancer Matters, host Rick Bangs talks with Thomas Flaig, MD, a genitourinary cancer medical oncologist and vice chancellor for research for the University of Colorado Denver and Anschutz Medical Campuses. In addition to his clinical and administrative work, Dr. Flaig has significant clinical and translational research experience, having led both local and national multi-center clinical trials. Known nationally for his work on bladder cancer, Dr. Flaig has been a member of the National Cancer Institute’s Investigational Drug Steering Committee and the bladder cancer task force.

Rick and Dr. Flaig talk about bladder cancer treatment guidelines and why they should matter to patients and the survivors. They discuss:

• What defines guidelines
• How many bladder cancer guidelines there are
• What those who are developing the guidelines do when new evidence comes out that could impact treatments
• The process of generating a patient-friendly version of guidelines
• How doctors apply guidelines to patients and if it is art, science, or both?
• The most significant changes that Dr. Flaig has seen in his 10 years of working on bladder cancer guidelines