title: Strategies to improve quality of life in bladder cancer patients.
abstract: Bladder cancer is a heterogeneous disease that includes both tumors with low risk of dissemination as well as highly malignant tumors with a considerable potential to metastasize. The patient's quality of life is closely related to the management of the disease. The challenge for the urologist is to acknowledge the malignant potential of the cancer and to adjust the approach to the patient accordingly. Patients with low-risk bladder cancer should avoid an exaggerated follow-up, but on the other hand high-risk patients must be sufficiently surveyed to secure that definitive surgical treatment is performed before it's too late. When the decision to perform a cystectomy has been made, it is crucial that the patient understands the consequences of the surgery as well as the possible options for urinary reconstruction. This review focuses on aspects of bladder cancer management that we believe are vital for the quality of life of these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology and Endocrine Surgery, University Hospital of North Norway, N-9038 Tromsø, Norway.
authors.forename: Marius
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roaldsen
authors.forename: Erling
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aarsaether
authors.forename: Tore
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Knutsen
authors.forename: Hiten R H
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Patel
mesh_terms: D015653:Cystectomy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011788:Quality of Life; D012306:Risk; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*
keywords: ERAS; bladder cancer; evidence-based medicine; guidelines; oncology; quality of life; shared decision-making