Bladder cancer is a type of cancer I rarely hear about, but when I do it sends shivers up, well, something. It's in the top-5 cancers worldwide, but it just does not get the kind of media attention other types of cancers do (for some odd reason).

Common urine samples are how many cases of bladder cancer are found, but these methods aren't foolproof. Well, new research may be able to put that notion to bed.

But, according to research out of the University of Florida, a protein called A1BG appears to be more common in the urine of bladder cancer patients -- and testing for the presence of this protein can become a very important way to test for bladder cancer outside of current urine testing methodologies.

When caught early, thank goodness, bladder cancer is much more treatable. In fact, the 5-year survival rate is about 94% -- which really gives the motivation to ask your doctor about A1BG testing the next time a urine sample is taken.

On May 10, I made a comment in my post about prostate cancer, about my dad's decision to not have testing done to find out if he has prostate cancer. It is hard for me to write about his decision, because I work in the health care field and I believe in modern medicine. I also believe, though, in the right of patients to make their own decisions, even if it is not a popular decision.

My father is 73. He has worked hard his whole life and has survived and overcome many difficulties. He has always been a fighter, and he has won many "battles." I just assumed that this would be another battle that he would meet head on. His decision to not even have further testing shocked me. He has his reasons, though. He feels that he has lived a full and satisfying life. He says that he does not want to go through a bunch of tests and possibly invasive procedures that might tell him something he already knows: He will die one day. He feels no symptoms and has decided that he will use measures against pain, should it come to that.

There are a lot of arguments here. A lot of things that could be said about quality of life and about survival rates. But he has made his decision. I found out that it is much easier for me to be supportive of someone when they make a decision that you yourself would have made. It is very hard to be supportive of a controversial decision. That is my job, though. My job as a nurse and as a daughter.