In the discussion on risk stratification for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), Drs. Anne Schuckman and Piyush Agarwal emphasize the importance of risk stratification beyond low and high grades. They categorize patients into low, intermediate, and high risk, considering factors like tumor size, grade, and recurrence. For low-grade, single lesion tumors, they consider these low risk, while multifocal or recurrent low-grade tumors are intermediate risk. High-grade tumors and carcinoma in situ are high risk. They discuss the use of cystoscopy, cytology, and imaging (CTU and MRI) for surveillance and staging. Biomarkers like NMP22 and CX bladder are also considered for their utility in monitoring and reducing unnecessary cystoscopies.
Contributors:
Dr. Bogdana Schmidt is a urologic surgeon specializing in urologic oncology at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Dr. Piyush Agarwal is a professor of surgery with The University of Chicago in Illinois.
Dr. Anne Schuckman is an associate professor of clinical urology at USC in Los Angeles, California.
