Oncology: Genitourinary Cancer

Elisabeth Heath, MD, FACP, discusses genitourinary cancers, including which cancers are included under this umbrella, symptoms of the disease, risk factors, and advancements in treatment. In the episode, Dr. Heath covers the following questions:1) Your area of expertise is genitourinary cancer. What does that mean? Is your expertise specific to men or women, or do you treat all patients? 2) As an oncologist focusing in genitourinary cancer, prostate cancer, kidney cancer and bladder cancer are probably among the most frequent types of cancer you treat. Is that true? 3) Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men. What causes prostate cancer? Who’s most at risk for prostate cancer and what signs and symptoms should men be aware of? 4) According to the American Cancer Society, there are about 80,000 cases of bladder cancer diagnosed each year. What causes the disease and what are the symptoms? Are certain people more likely to be diagnosed with the disease? 5) Kidney cancer is less common than bladder cancer. Talk about the causes and symptoms of this disease, as well as the risk factors. 6) There have been many advancements in cancer treatment in recent years. Can you talk about these advancements, especially those treatments that are the most promising in the treatment of prostate cancer and bladder cancer? 7) What advice do you have for listeners who have a family history of these types of cancers?