Bladder Cancer
Bladder cancer accounts for approximately 54,000 new cases of cancer per year with approximately 12,000 deaths each year attributable to the disease. Fortunately, two-thirds of the newly diagnosed bladder cancers occur only on the lining of the bladder (superficial bladder cancer) and can be treated effectively by the urologic surgeons at The University of Kansas Hospital. Blood in the urine (called hematuria) is usually the first sign of bladder cancer. Other symptoms which may not be recognized initially include the need to urinate frequently both day and night, and the inability to hold the urine once the urge to urinate occurs. A simple test called cystoscopy, performed in the clinics at KU can usually diagnose the cancer. Our physicians are experts in the diagnosis of bladder cancer as well as its treatment. In addition, they employ a number of methods to keep those with superficial bladder cancer from recurring.

For those patients in whom the cancer is invasive (into the muscle wall of the bladder) surgery to remove the entire bladder (cystectomy) is often needed. The urologic oncologists at KU will employ options to preserve the bladder when possible (bladder sparing), however if removal is needed they have one of the nation’s largest experiences.

For patients whose bladder must be removed surgeons must create a new way for the body to store and empty urine. The urologic oncologists at KU are well versed in the different urinary diversion options. One such option performed by our urologists is the construction of a “new” bladder using intestine called a neobladder. This allows patients to urinate in a normal fashion. The Department of Urology at KU has had good success with these reconstructive techniques since their inception.

Unfortunately, some patients will have bladder cancer that has spread beyond the bladder (to the lungs, liver or bones) prior to surgery or after the removal of the bladder. Dr. Peter Vanveldhuizen, is a medical oncologist who specializes in the treatment of urologic malignancies and has a vast experience in the treatment of metastatic bladder cancer. Working closely with the urologic oncologists at KU, Dr. Vanveldhuizen provides the latest and most advanced chemotherapy for the treatment of bladder cancer.

Kidney Cancer
Kidney cancer affects some 30,000 people in the United States each year, and close to 12,000 die from the disease. It is the eighth most common cancer in men and the tenth most common in women. Smoking is the major risk factor, but family history may also play an important role especially for those with Von Hippel Lindau disease.

Surgery remains the main treatment for kidney cancer. Depending on the stage of the tumor, several different surgical approaches can be applied to treat the cancer. For example, for those tumors which are less than 5cm or in patients with only a single kidney, the physicians at KU often recommend a partial nephrectomy. This operation, which requires significant skill, focuses on preserving as much normal kidney as possible while removing the cancerous tumor. The Department of Urology has the necessary experience and expertise to be able to offer this procedure even for the most difficult tumors. In addition, our physicians perform the very complicated laparoscopic partial nephrectomy, cryosurgery, and radio frequency ablation. For those tumors which are larger, radical nephrectomy or removal of the entire kidney may be necessary. In these instances, we offer the latest techniques of treatment including laparoscopic nephrectomy.

For those patients whose cancer has spread beyond the kidney, our comprehensive approach utilizing our urologic oncologists, medical oncologists, and radiation oncologists can provide complete care. We offer the latest treatments available, including a number of clinical trials for those who have failed traditional treatment.

Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer diagnosed in men in the United States (excluding skin cancer) and is the second leading cause of cancer deaths (after lung cancer). In 2007, approximately 219,000 men in the United States were diagnosed with prostate cancer and 37,000 men die of the disease each year, according to the American Cancer Society. As a man gets older his chances of developing prostate cancer increases, with more than 75 percent of tumors being found in men over age 65. A family history of prostate cancer may increase the chances of developing the disease, particularly if his brother, father, or paternal uncle was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and especially if the relative was younger than 60 at the time of diagnosis. For a man who is now 50 years old, his probability of being diagnosed with prostate cancer is about 10 percent.

Prostate cancer is usually curable when detected early. This underscores the need for screening. The Department of Urology at the University of Kansas Hospital conducts a number of free prostate cancer screenings around the state. Our goal is to provide awareness and early screening to those who might otherwise not seek care. While some men seek medical attention because they are experiencing symptoms that might indicate prostate cancer (such as frequent urination or an inability to urinate, trouble starting or holding back urine flows, or frequent pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips, or upper thighs), most men experience no such symptoms. Hence, for many men, an abnormal finding during a routine screening examination is the first indication that they might have prostate cancer. An abnormal-feeling prostate and an elevated PSA level (greater than or equal to 4.0 ng/ml) are both possible indicators of the disease.

We offer the most advanced methods for the detection and diagnosis of prostate cancer. For those with an elevated PSA or an abnormal digital rectal exam our physicians may recommend a prostate biopsy done under ultrasound guidance. Using newer techniques of local anesthesia, our physicians make the procedure as comfortable as possible. When indicated, the University of Kansas Hospital, offers state of the art diagnostic equipment including one of the nation’s few combined PET/CT scanners to detect cancer that has spread at the earliest possible stage.

Most men are diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer (the disease is confined to the prostate). Our physicians will carefully discuss all treatment options including surgery, radiation therapy, and watchful waiting (careful observation without further immediate treatment) in terms patients can understand. In the past, surgery and radiation therapy have posed risks of side effects such as urinary incontinence, sexual potency problems, and rectal problems. Fortunately, the experience of our surgeons as well as our radiation oncologists helps to minimize these side effects. Our radiation oncologists offer the latest techniques in radiation including intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and brachytherapy (radioactive seed implantation into the prostate) which are aimed at providing cancer control while minimizing the side effects.

The urologic surgeons at the University of Kansas Hospital offer the latest techniques in prostate surgery. Dr. Brantley Thrasher is a well-known national expert in prostate cancer and is one of the only urologic oncologists in the United States performing radical retropubic, radical perineal, and robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy for prostate removal. The perineal approach and the robot-assisted approach have been shown to have less pain and less blood loss. Dr. David Duchene is another faculty member who is an expert in robotic prostatectomy and advanced laparoscopy, and is one of only two fellowship-trained robotic physicians in the Kansas City metro area. Dr. Jeffrey Holzbeierlein performs radical retropubic prostatectomies and in cases where the nerves responsible for erections must be removed, he is now performing pioneering, “nerve-graft” surgery, which can increase the likelihood of restoring sexual function in those men who require nerve resection. This nerve-graft surgery is available only at a small number of centers of expertise, of which the University of Kansas is one.

With a dedicated team of physicians consisting of fellowship trained urologic oncologists, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists specializing in the treatment of genitourinary malignancies, pathologists, and radiologists, KU offers comprehensive cancer care to the patient with prostate cancer.

Dr. Brantley Thasher appears on KMBZ Radio 980 Health Talk with Lorell LaBoube.

Click here to listen the audio broadcast...