How surgeons created a new bladder for Deion Sanders

6 days ago

How surgeons created a caller bladder for Deion Sanders

This week, University of Colorado shot coach Deion Sanders shared he was treated for fierce bladder cancer. Surgeons removed nan diseased bladder, and successful a process called "neobladder construction," they made him a caller bladder. Here's nan subject down nan procedure.

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

University of Colorado shot coach Deion Sanders has a marque caller bladder. It's called a neobladder, and it's made from his mini intestine. The two-time Super Bowl champion precocious underwent reconstructive room to dainty an fierce shape of bladder cancer. Health newsman Sarah Boden has a study connected this procedure.

SARAH BODEN: To build a caller bladder, a surgeon takes astir a ft and a half of nan mini intestine and past cuts it down 1 broadside truthful it lays level for illustration a sheet. Then they fold it successful half, apical to bottom, and past link nan backmost portion to nan front, hook it up to nan kidneys and urethra, and past you person a full caller organ.

JANET KUKREJA: The quality assemblage is amazing.

BODEN: Dr. Janet Kukreja is head of urolic oncology astatine nan University of Colorado Cancer Center. She performed Sanders' room aft a cancerous tumor was discovered this spring. Kukreja says 1 cool point astir neobladder reconstruction is simply a patient's immune strategy doesn't cull nan caller organ because it's made from their ain tissue.

KUKREJA: So past they don't person to return immunosuppression.

BODEN: Theoretically, if you transplanted personification else's bladder, nan diligent would person to return these medications. Also, a integrative bladder won't activity either.

KUKREJA: And thing successful nan urinary tract has to beryllium their ain tissue. Otherwise, calcium builds up connected it, and group get stones.

BODEN: Now, a reconstructed bladder doesn't usability precisely for illustration someone's original bladder. For example, it can't nonstop signals to nan encephalon to fto you cognize erstwhile you request to usage nan toilet. Dr. Jodi Maranchie is simply a surgical urolic oncologist astatine UPMC successful Pittsburgh, and she says, this isn't a large woody during nan day.

JODI MARANCHIE: They're capable to clasp nan urine successful erstwhile they're awake and alert.

BODEN: It's much of a problem astatine night. During a Monday property conference, Sanders acknowledged this drawback. He joked that, for illustration his 1-year-old grandson, he now depends connected Depends. It conscionable takes clip to relearn really to usage nan bath pinch a caller bladder.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DEION SANDERS: And I cognize there's a batch of group retired location going done what I'm going done and dealing pinch what I'm dealing with. And let's extremity being ashamed of it.

BODEN: An estimated 85,000 group successful nan U.S. will get bladder crab this year. About 1 successful 5 of those patients will die.

MARANCHIE: About two-thirds of bladder crab patients are men, but women thin to coming pinch much precocious and somewhat much fierce disease.

BODEN: Maranchie says nan main motion that thing is incorrect is humor successful nan urine. But Sanders said that wasn't nan lawsuit for him. His tumor was recovered during an yearly checkup, and that saved his life.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SANDERS: But please, get yourself checked out.

BODEN: And because he did spell to nan doctor, he's live and backmost to coaching. For NPR News, I'm Sarah Boden.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

Accuracy and readiness of NPR transcripts whitethorn vary. Transcript matter whitethorn beryllium revised to correct errors aliases lucifer updates to audio. Audio connected npr.org whitethorn beryllium edited aft its original broadcast aliases publication. The charismatic grounds of NPR’s programming is nan audio record.