Experts on Bladder Cancer to Lead Free Seminar July 14

Urologists specializing in bladder cancer will lead a free educational seminar for men and women concerned about this common disease at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 14, at the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center.

“There are many things people can do to reduce their personal risk of bladder cancer and education is key,” said Edward M. Messing, M.D., chair of Urology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. He will lead the program along with Dragan Golijanin, M.D., assistant professor of Urology and Oncology. They will discuss prevention measures, warning signs, treatments and survival rates, as well as current research projects.

To register for the session, call (585) 275-2838. Parking is free and refreshments will be served.

Smoking is a key risk factor for the disease, which affects about 71,000 people in the United States each year, according to the American Cancer Society. Smokers are at increased risk of developing bladder cancer because toxins in cigarettes pass into the urine and damage the lining of the bladder. Those changes can lead to cancer. 

Statistics show that smokers are four times more likely than nonsmokers to get bladder cancer and men are three times more likely than women. Hematuria, known as blood in urine, is a first sign that a tumor may be growing in the bladder.

Messing and Golijinan are experts in all facets of urologic oncology, both as a clinician/surgeon, and as a clinical, translational and basic researcher. Their research contributions have included enhancing physicians’ knowledge about the basic molecular biology and genetics of development and progression of cancers of the bladder, prostate and kidney, and bringing these studies to fruition for the detection, prevention and treatment of these diseases. They also have developed new ways to image and stage bladder, prostate and kidney cancers and designed and led clinical trials for each of these cancers.