Lotan Yair, Kamat Ashish M, Porter Michael P, Robinson Victoria L, Shore Neal, Jewett Michael, Schelhammer Paul F, deVere White Ralph, Quale Diane, Lee Cheryl T
Department of Urology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390-9110, USA.
Cancer. 2009 Sep 15;115(18):4096-103. doi: 10.1002/cncr.24463.
Bladder cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the United States and, on a per capita basis, is the most expensive cancer from diagnosis to death. Unfortunately, National Cancer Institute funding for bladder cancer is quite low when compared with other common malignancies. Limited funding has stifled research opportunities for new and established investigators, ultimately encouraging them to redirect research efforts to other organ sites. Waning interest of scientists has further fueled the cycle of modest funding for bladder cancer. One important consequence of this has been a lack of scientific advancement in the field. Patient advocates have decidedly advanced research efforts in many cancer sites. Breast, prostate, pancreatic, and ovarian cancer advocates have organized highly successful campaigns to lobby the federal government and the medical community to devote increased attention and funding to understudied malignancies and to conduct relevant studies to better understand the therapy, diagnosis, and prevention of these diseases. Bladder cancer survivors have lacked a coordinated advocacy voice until recently. A concerted effort to align bladder cancer advocates, clinicians, and urologic organizations is essential to define the greatest needs in bladder cancer and to develop related solutions. This position paper represents a collaborative discussion to define the most concerning trends and greatest needs in the field of bladder cancer as outlined by the Bladder Cancer Think Tank, the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network, and the Society of Urologic Oncology.
膀胱癌是美国第五大常见癌症，按人均计算，是从诊断到死亡花费最高的癌症。不幸的是，与其他常见恶性肿瘤相比，美国国立癌症研究所对膀胱癌的资助相当少。资金有限抑制了新老研究人员的研究机会，最终促使他们将研究精力转向其他器官部位。科学家兴趣的减弱进一步加剧了膀胱癌资金投入不足的循环。这一情况的一个重要后果是该领域缺乏科学进展。在许多癌症领域，患者权益倡导者大力推动了研究工作。乳腺癌、前列腺癌、胰腺癌和卵巢癌的权益倡导者组织了非常成功的活动，游说联邦政府和医学界，使其更多关注研究不足的恶性肿瘤并提供资金，开展相关研究以更好地了解这些疾病的治疗、诊断和预防。直到最近，膀胱癌幸存者一直缺乏协调一致的权益倡导声音。将膀胱癌权益倡导者、临床医生和泌尿外科组织联合起来共同努力，对于明确膀胱癌的最大需求并制定相关解决方案至关重要。本立场文件代表了一次合作讨论，旨在确定膀胱癌领域最令人担忧的趋势和最大需求，这些内容由膀胱癌智囊团、膀胱癌倡导网络和泌尿外科肿瘤学会概述。
