Diane Zipursky Quale

While healthcare systems may be inundated with COVID-19-related traffic, it’s still important to see a doctor if you notice any signs or symptoms that could point to cancer, says Diane Zipursky Quale, co-founder of the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN).

When asked for advice on how to navigate the pandemic in an interview with 

, Zipursky stressed the importance of staying the course to avoid COVID infection and followed up with a reminder that cancer screening remains a crucial tool in staying healthy as well.

“Just because of COVID-19, we cannot forget about the other things that are of great medical concern,” Zipursky said. “Listen to your body, don’t be afraid to reach out and talk to your doctor. They will weigh the risks and the benefits and do what’s best for you.”

I would say listen to the healthcare professionals. The stay-at-home orders, I think, work. Do what you’re supposed to do in terms of washing your hands and using the disinfectants and using a mask and social distance, social distance, social distance (laughs).

One thing I also want to say because I think it’s of great concern both in the bladder cancer field but I think also in the healthcare field itself: if you are not feeling well, if you haven’t even been diagnosed with bladder cancer but you see blood in your urine, don’t be afraid to see a doctor.

Just because of COVID-19, we cannot forget about the other things that are of great medical concern. There is a little bit of concern for people who are showing signs of cancer — showing signs of bladder cancer – and are reluctant to see a doctor. And we know, just as with anything, the sooner you get diagnosed, the sooner you can get treatment, the better your options are, and the better your prognosis is. Listen to your body, don’t be afraid to reach out and talk to your doctor. They will weigh the risks and the benefits and do what’s best for you.

The last thing to know is to take life one day at a time. We will get through this, and we will get through this together. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to all of us at the 

, for the resources and the support that you need. It’s a difficult time for all, but I do believe that we are all resilient and we are all strong, and together we will all get through this.  

Videos

Even amid stay at home orders to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, listen to your body and speak to your healthcare professionals when you are worried about a potential for cancer.
 

Don't Ignore the Warning Signs of Cancer, Even During a Pandemic

There are as many approaches to bladder cancer treatment as there are types of the disease. But for patients who are struggling with treatment decisions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the key lies in constant communication with their healthcare team, says one expert.

 recently spoke with Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network co-founder Diane Zipursky Quale about the challenges that patients with bladder cancer are currently facing because of the pandemic, and how doctors are working with patients to come up with solutions on an individual basis.

For bladder cancer patients and their families, just like any cancer patients — or actually anybody else dealing with a non-COVID disease – this is an incredibly challenging time. Bladder cancer requires a lot of surveillance. And so, depending on what kind of bladder cancer you have, what stage is your disease and what kind of treatment is involved, there are a lot of questions and there are a lot of challenges right now.

Some patients need to see their doctors on a regular basis to be scoped, to see whether or not their cancer has returned. Some patients are getting treatment, maybe intravesical treatment into their bladder that has to be done on a weekly basis. There are patients that are getting chemotherapy. And all of this has changed during COVID because there’s a risk/benefit analysis you have to make. Do you go to see your doctor? Do you go to the hospital for that scope at a time where things might not be quite as safe or as comfortable as they were in non-COVID times?

So, what this requires is really a close relationship with your healthcare provider and having them talk with you about this risk/benefit analysis. There are many times that treatment can be delayed without impact on your prognosis and your health. But there are other times and other patients that treatment needs to happen now. But I think that most hospitals, as well as outpatient clinics and doctors’ offices, have taken all of the requisite steps to make sure that their patients are not unduly exposed to the risk of COVID when coming in for their treatments.

Again, this is why you need to talk with and have a good relationship with your medical team. They’re coming up with really creative and new ways and types of treatment that they can do during the time when surgery is not yet allowed. So, there are a lot of really interesting things going on, and a lot of helpful things going on.

COVID-19 has drastically changed the landscape for patients with bladder cancer, but the new challenges are not insurmountable. CURE had the chance to interview the co-founder of the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network to discuss these changes.
 

What Patients with Bladder Cancer Can Do When COVID-19 Impacts Their Care

May is Bladder Cancer Awareness Month, and for one organization, that usually means bringing patients, survivors, caregivers and advocates together across the country in different ways to raise awareness of this disease. But as Diane Zipursky Quale, co-founder of the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN) explained, the celebrations look very different this year, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

® recently spoke with Quale about how the organization has had to pivot to virtual support groups and awareness events to both advance bladder cancer research and support those impacted by the disease.

Well, May of 2020 is very unusual, as COVID has turned life upside-down and transformed life for all of us, but we decided to have May as Bladder Cancer Awareness Month to have even more initiatives on raising public awareness about this very common cancer. Because too often, the first time people hear about bladder cancer is when they are diagnosed, and that should never happen.

So, we used May as an opportunity to work with our volunteers all across the country in their own communities to raise awareness about the disease, so that people are aware of the signs and symptoms of bladder cancer. And, just so everybody knows, the most common symptom of bladder cancer is blood in your urine. Blood in your urine is 

 talk to your doctor about it. There are many reasons for it, it’s not just bladder cancer, but it’s never normal.

So, in May, we have in past years had walks all around the country to end bladder cancer, with everybody in their orange t-shirts raising money and raising awareness in their local communities. We of course had to pivot this May because we weren’t allowed to gather in large groups, but it was wonderful. We had, on the first Saturday of May, BCAN had its first virtual walk to end bladder cancer, and we had thousands of participants in more than 45 states all across the country, raising awareness and walking “together”, walking virtually in their communities. And I think it was just a wonderful demonstration of both the commitment and the dedication that we have from our community — our volunteers, our survivors and their families all across the country – to not let COVID stop our efforts to continue to make the public aware of bladder cancer and to continue to be sure that those people who are diagnosed with the disease know that BCAN exists, know that there are resources, education and information for you so that nobody ever has to feel alone.

In that regard, I want to direct everyone to our 

, where we have a ton of resources and information to help you as you go through your bladder cancer journey, and also to connect you with other survivors, so nobody ever has to feel like they don’t have the support and the community they need.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network is honoring Bladder Cancer Awareness Month in a slightly different way from previous years. 

How One Organization is Honoring Bladder Cancer Awareness Month During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Diane Zipursky Quale, co-founder of the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network, discusses the importance of patients discussing their treatment options with their physician before undergoing surgery.

Many patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer are faced with the option of having their bladder removed, which impacts quality of life, including sexual activity following surgery, Quale says.

Quale encourages patients to speak with their physicians to learn what their options are, as well as what they can expect their life to be like following surgery.

Diane Zipursky Quale

Don't Ignore the Warning Signs of Cancer, Even During a Pandemic

What Patients with Bladder Cancer Can Do When COVID-19 Impacts Their Care

How One Organization is Honoring Bladder Cancer Awareness Month During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Diane Zipursky Quale on Shared Decision Making for Bladder Cancer

Latest News