The Importance of a Multidisciplinary Team in Building Bladder Cancer Guidelines

Jeffrey Holzbeierlein, M.D., University of Kansas Medical Center, discusses how important it was that a multidisciplinary team came together to create the non-metastatic muscle-invasive bladder cancer guidelines.

A group of professionals from various organizations, such as the American Urologic Association and ASCO, as well as those working in medical and radiation oncology, and a patient advocate from the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN) all came together to form these guidelines, which are the first guidelines made for this disease type.

Including a team of professionals and advocates -- rather than just having a group of urologists make the guidelines -- gives the guidelines more validity and credibility, and helps to educate patients and professionals across the different realms of oncology.