Soon, simple tests of blood and urine will be able to distinguish patients with aggressive bladder cancer from those with less severe disease. Patients will be identified earlier and targeted accordingly with treatments designed to achieve a cure. While it remains true that the majority of patients with bladder cancer do not require removal of their bladders, this procedure remains necessary for some individuals. Previously, patients were left with few options for urinary diversion, and still, today, most Oklahoma residents undergo traditional surgery that requires urine to be collected in a bag outside the body, leaving them to deal with lifelong frustrations. Recent research has led to the development of bladder substitutes that have had a dramatic impact on a patients' quality of life.
Most individuals can now literally have new bladders reconstructed which allow for normal urination.
The Urologic Cancer Center is the only location in the state that offers this exciting new technique to both men and women. Prostate Cancer Prostate cancer has benefited from its status as the country's most common solid tumor in men, with widespread research pointing the way toward a variety of new management options. The natural history of prostate cancer varies widely, further impacting the choice of treatment. Determining the extent of disease and its potential for progression is a difficult science. Specialists in all potential areas of treatment are available for consultation at the university, with their efforts directed by the patient's urologic oncologist.