Abstract
Purpose: To identify gaps between the ideal and current approaches to Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC) in Canada, and determine what should be done short- and long-term to address those gaps.
Methods: Prompted by a patient diagnosed with NMIBC in July 2022, we first searched the global literature for the most-effective preventive, screening, diagnostic, and therapeutic approaches to NMIBC, and also examined sites such as Bladder Cancer Canada and professional societies’ sites for clinical recommendations. We next conducted written and oral interviews with urologists, researchers, primary care physicians, and manufacturers of related interventions to understand and synthesize the literature and determine the best clinical course of action.
Results: Our approach produced prompt and free care, of quality ranging from poor to outstanding. It required substantial patient resilience and advocacy, much of which is likely easily remediable, some of which will require policy changes. Care quality gaps of particular concern that were identified included:
Conclusion: Treatment of NMIBC in Canada is not currently provided in an optimized or rational fashion. Several improvements that are without meaningful associated cost have been identified that we conclude should be immediately implemented. Other interventions should be considered immediately by policymakers to reduce unnecessary morbidity, mortality, suffering, and other societal costs.
Citation Format: Erica Frank. When Canada is a Under-Resourced Country: Patient-Oriented Research on Optimizing Rational Decision-Making for Bladder Cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 11th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research; Closing the Research-to-Implementation Gap; 2023 Apr 4-6. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 96.
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