Quality of Life and Symptom Management in Patients With Bladder Cancer

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

- To identify aspects of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and symptom management in
patients with non-invasive, low- or high-risk bladder cancer.

- To obtain feedback on data collection methods to enhance acceptability in these
patients.

OUTLINE: Patients undergo a 10-minute screening in person or by phone to obtain demographic
data and medical information (e.g., bladder cancer diagnosis and treatment history).
Additional information is obtained from the clinical databases at the Baylor College of
Medicine and the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Patients who are
eligible for the study are added to a waiting list for 1 of 4 focus groups based on disease
status (high-risk or low-risk non-invasive bladder cancer) and gender. Patients participate
in a 1.5- to 2-hour focus group discussion about the impact of bladder cancer on their
quality of life and relationships. Patients receive information about community and
Internet-based resources at the end of each group session.