Thank you all for your expressions of concern and encouragement.

I had my TURBT on Thursday. Will know the results at the follow-up consult when we get the pathology report. My doc also administered Mitomycin during the procedure.

Earlier in the week, during the pre-op consult, we discussed the implications of this recurrence. He said that if it turned out to be T1 (he is in the camp that considers T1 to be invasive) we’d have to begin consideration of bladder removal. If it remains Ta, then we can look at BCG maintenance therapy, given the particulars of my history with this disease.

I showed him the EORTC Bladder Risk Tables for Ta and T1 Bladder Cancer that Chris found. He was very interested, and asked me to send him the link, but he also said that the program seems to be returning more optimistic percentages than his experience has shown.

I also showed him the article on the clinical trials of Urocidin that Wendy has mentioned. He was very interested in that, as well, and now has a copy of it. He knows one of the lead investigators, Dr. Harry Herr, with whom he discussed collaboration on a bladder cancer study while he (my doc) was at Bethesda. He said Dr. Herr is world-renowned for his work in bladder cancer. He said if one of the sites used in the 2007 round of clinical trials is in our area, he will look into getting me into it.

That conversation (about the Urocidin) took place just prior to my TURBT, and just after it he was very positive about the results, although he is careful to indicate that pathology reports can often contradict the visiual inspection, and even the TURBT, in either direction. Hopefully, however, his experience will prove out and I will be able to stay here with BCG maintenance (which I’ve shown an ability to tolerate without difficulty) or, if the pathology permits, with only a regime of periodic check-up cytoscopies.

Will keep you all posted. Thanks again for the concern and support. I hope you all know you all have my (and my wife’s) best wishes as well, and that you are in our thoughts.