BCAN's Patient Insight Webinar series includes the four-part Veterans & Bladder Cancer Webinar, which focused on the physical and emotional impact of bladder cancer unique to our veteran population. You can watch each video below.

Vietnam Veterans and Agent Orange Exposure

In March 2016, the Institute of Medicine, a division of the National Academies of Sciences, evaluated the available scientific and medical information about possible health effects, including bladder cancer, due to exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides used in Vietnam.

This report changed bladder cancer's category of association with exposure to Agent Orange, moving from "inadequate or insufficient" evidence of association, up to "limited or suggestive" evidence of association.

Bladder cancer's reclassification calls for more research for this disease, and brings it one step closer to being added to the Department of Veterans Affairs' presumptive list.

This means veterans with bladder cancer due to herbicide exposure could possibly receive benefits from the VA.

In July 2015, the VA released a report warning past residents of Marin Corps Base Camp Lejeune of their potential exposure to drinking water contaminated with industrial solvents, benzene, and other chemicals.

Fifteen health conditions, including bladder cancer, have been linked to this exposure, and qualify for VA health benefits.

If you lived on Camp Lejeune for longer than 30 days between August 1, 1952 and December 1, 1987, contact your local VA healthcare facility to start the enrollment process.

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Veterans and Bladder Cancer: A Webinar Series From BCAN

Jonathan E. Rosenberg, MD, medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and BCAN Scientific Advisor, discusses the new treatment guidelines for patients with non-metastatic muscle invasive bladder cancer.

Traditionally, the only treatment for muscle invasive bladder cancer was radical cystectomy, explains Rosenberg. Following several large randomized trials, there has been a shown benefit to cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to cystectomy.

The new guidelines establish cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy as a standard of care for these patients, states Rosenberg.

Jonathan E. Rosenberg, MD, medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the new treatment guidelines for patients with non-metastatic muscle invasive bladder cancer.

Dr. Rosenberg on Non-Metastatic Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer Guidelines

The Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN) announced the recipients of the 2017 Young Investigator Awards. The Young Investigator Awards support the development of outstanding research scientists and clinical cancer research investigators who have demonstrated a commitment to improving the understanding and treatment of bladder cancer. BCAN is pleased to grant two awards of $50,000 to support one year of research.

The Stephen Hale Gushée Young Investigator Award

 will support the research of Tracy Rose, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor at UNC Chapel Hill, for her research, “Defining the Immune Response to Chemotherapy and Chemo-Immunotherapy in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer.” While newly approved immunotherapy treatments are showing great promise for many bladder cancer patients, the complicated immune system changes seen with standard chemotherapy and chemotherapy in combination with immunotherapy have not been studied in bladder cancer. Dr. Rose’s work will assist the development and optimization of chemo-immunotherapy combinations in bladder cancer to ultimately improve the cure rate of this deadly disease.

The JPB Foundation Young Investigator Award

 will further the research of Byron Lee, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, on “Ascertaining the Role of Mutations in COMPASS- like Complex Members in the Development of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma.” Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) accounts for 5-10% of all urothelial carcinomas, and very few treatment options exist, especially for those patients who have disease recurrence after kidney removal and inadequate kidney function for cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Dr. Lee will be investigating how mutations affect disease progression and response to therapy, with the goal of deepening the understanding of how UTUC arises and also to provide novel drug targets for testing.

“Since we began our Young Investigator Awards, BCAN has invested more than one million dollars to support early career investigators like Dr. Rose and Dr. Lee. Advancing quality research has always been a top priority for BCAN. Funding their work exemplifies our efforts to make a difference in the lives of those diagnosed with bladder cancer. We are grateful for the generous support from The JPB Foundation and the family and friends of Stephen Hale Gushée for making these awards possible,” stated Andrea Maddox-Smith, Chief Executive Officer of BCAN.

The Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN) announced the recipients of the 2017 Young Investigator Awards.

Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network

Articles

Veterans and Bladder Cancer: A Webinar Series From BCAN

Dr. Rosenberg on Non-Metastatic Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer Guidelines

BCAN 2017 Young Investigator Awardees