Published Jul 28, 2025

The Biggest Catch of Coach Prime’s Life, Neon Deion Sanders, 57, Tackles Cancer; His Prognosis & Urging Men To Get Get Symptoms Checked

Details
Transcript
Save This Video

Understanding Bladder Cancer

After undergoing surgery for bladder cancer, Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders, the head football coach at the University of Colorado Boulder, is urging everyone to “get checked out” as he experienced no symptoms prior to getting diagnosed.
Sanders beat cancer after having his bladder surgically removed following the discovery of a “very-high grade, malignant tumor.”
Bladder cancer develops when cells that make up the urinary bladder grow and eventually become tumors. Although Sanders had no symptoms, common symptoms of the disease include frequent or painful urination or blood in urine.
SurvivorNet experts say surgery for bladder cancer often offers the best chance for a cure.
Depending on the aggressiveness of your tumor, cystoscopy (a procedure to see inside the bladder and urethra) will be required to check the area once a year or as frequently as every few months for the first few years after treatment.

Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders, the head football coach at the University of Colorado Boulder, is urging “everybody” to “get checked out” after his recent battle with bladder cancer—something he describes as a “fight.”

The resilient coach, who will turn 58 next month, went public with his cancer journey this week, revealing he had a “tough” battle with an aggressive form of bladder cancer and is set to coach this college football season.

Digital Guide: Initial Treatment Decision Making

Despite struggling with a 25-pound weight loss, needing a urostomy bag [a medical device used to collect urine after bladder surgery] and a catheter, in addition to being tasked with preparing a will—Sanders has maintained hope throughout this arduous time and is using his story to encourage others to get routine checkups.

Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Sanders, a dad of two, said, “Please get yourself checked out. Especially African-American men … we don’t like going to the doctor, we don’t like nothing to do with the doctor, you know that.

“So I’m not just talking to the brothers, I’m taking to my Caucasian brothers, my Hispanic brothers, my Asian brothers, my … everybody and my sisters. And that’s all of y’all.”

He continued, “Get checked out, because it could have been a whole ‘nother gathering if I hadn’t. I’m thankful, it’s been a tremendous journey,” noting he lost a substantial amount of pounds and joking, “I was like Atlanta Falcons Prime at one point.”

“Please get yourself checked out… because it could have been a whole other gathering if I hadn’t.”@DeionSanders shares a message to everyone during his health update press conference ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/QBi2v8Ri2L
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) July 28, 2025

Sanders ultimately had his bladder surgically removed following the discovery of a “very-high grade, malignant tumor,” something he recalls having had no symptoms of and only found thanks to being proactive with his health.

The coach’s bladder tumor was discovered after he underwent a routine scan.

Dr. Janet Kukreja, Director of Urological Oncology at UCHealth, who sat alongside Sanders during the press conference said, “It was very high-grade, invading through the bladder wall, not into the muscle layer, something we call very high-risk, non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.”

He then had the tumor fully removed laparoscopically and a new bladder created, allowing him to become cancer free. Sanders chose this treatment option as another way of treating it would’ve left him with a high chance of recurrence.

Sanders also noted how the aftermath of his surgery has left him in the midst of “trials and tribulations,” prompting him to admit he can’t control his bladder, saying “I’m making a joke out of it. But it’s real. So if you see Porta Potty on the sideline, it’s real. I’m just telling you right now, you’re gonna see it.”

He also praised Dr. Janet Kukreja and her team for helping him make an educated decision on the best course of treatment, further expressing his gratitude on how an annual checkup led doctors to “stumble onto” his diagnosis.

Sanders, who donned a cowboy hat and sunglasses during the news conference, also admitted how he didn’t want to stress his sons with his health issues as he didn’t want it to distract them.

“My sons, to this day, don’t know what transpired, I just told them it was something with my foot, because I wanted to give them the focus on making the team and not focused on dad,” he explained.

Further expressing his gratitude and understanding of others who are dealing with the same struggles, he said, “Let’s stop being ashamed of it.

“Let’s deal with it and let’s deal with it head on.”

Sanders further described his cancer journey as “dynamic and tough,” insisting, ” It wasn’t a cakewalk. It wasn’t easy. That was a fight, but we made it.”

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by @COACHPRIME (@deionsanders)

Understanding Bladder Cancer & Treatment

Bladder cancer develops when cells that make up the urinary bladder start to grow and eventually develop into tumors. And when these cancerous tumors become muscle invasive, or spread into deeper layers of the bladder wall, the bladder may need to be removed all together along with nearby lymph nodes, other organs in the pelvis and potentially other nearby organs as well.

“For most patients who have invasive bladder cancer, the mainstay of their therapy is surgery, to remove the bladder, and the technical term for removing the bladder is radical cystectomy,” Dr. Jay Shah, the cancer care program leader for urologic oncology at the Stanford Cancer Center, told SurvivorNet.

“And what it entails is removing the bladder, plus all the organs nearby, removing the lymph nodes, which is the first place that bladder cancer can spread out of the body, and then we have to do something called a urinary diversion, which is finding some way for the patient’s urine to get out of their body.”

Bladder cancer is the sixth-most common type of cancer overall in the United States, though it is the fourth-most common for men.

My Bladder Cancer Has Spread. What Are My Options?

When it comes to muscle-invasive bladder cancer, complete removal of the bladder is considered the optimal method to cure. However, for patients who cannot have surgery due to medical problems or personal preference, chemotherapy combined with radiation can be an alternative.

And although radical cystectomy (complete removal of the bladder) is the standard approach for this type of bladder cancer, research shows that adding chemotherapy before you head to the operating room decreases the chance of cancer coming back and increase survival.

Treatment that is administered before surgery is called “neoadjuvant.” Pre-surgery is the ideal time to give treatment, because up to 30% of patients experience post-operative complications that would otherwise delay or entirely prevent safe delivery of chemotherapy. Different combinations and doses of treatments may be recommended based on your age, other medical conditions, and whether the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes. The two most common regimens are MVAC (methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin) and GC (gemcitabine and cisplatin). These regimens are given for approximately 2-4 months between your diagnosis and surgery date. Imaging tests such as CT scans may be ordered to check your progress with chemotherapy.

Treatment for bladder cancer depends on several factors including the type of tumor, stage of disease and your general health. Your personal wishes, values and expectations also play a role in the treatment plan you and your doctor choose.

How Should My Doctor and I Make a Treatment Plan For Bladder Cancer?

Your doctor is often part of a team that will help you make decisions about treatment options. This may include surgeons, pathologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, urologists and other health professionals. You should feel comfortable asking questions about any aspect of bladder cancer treatment before making a decision.

Bladder cancer develops when cells that make up the urinary bladder start to grow and eventually develop into tumors. [It’s worth noting that the National Cancer Institute puts it as the sixth most common type of cancer overall in the U.S.]

Dr. Jay Shah, the cancer care program leader for urologic oncology at the Stanford Cancer Center, previously told SurvivorNet, “Bladder cancer is one of those cancers that you don’t hear about too often.”

Bladder cancer, which is highly treatable when found early, can often be detected early because the main first sign of the disease is hematuria, or blood appearing in your urine. This blood can change the urine’s color to orange, pink and, in some extreme cases, dark red.

Questions To Ask Your Doctor After Being Diagnosed With Bladder Cancer

A new bladder cancer diagnosis can feel incredibly overwhelming. That’s why it’s important to prepare for your cancer journey by asking your doctor the right questions.

Knowing what to expect during and after treatment can help relieve stress and make a difficult experience more manageable. It also gives you time to plan and make arrangements for any care you may need.

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Bladder Cancer?

“I tell all my patients that we’re gonna get to know each other really well,” says Dr. Shah.

“You need to develop a relationship with your urologist because once you have bladder cancer, you need to have someone that’s following you regularly for the rest of your life.”

Asking questions helps you learn more about your healthcare team’s experience treating bladder cancer and begin forming a relationship with them. Your doctor should be happy to answer your questions, so don’t hesitate to speak up.

Consider asking your healthcare team the following questions:

What type of cancer do I have?
What stage is the cancer?
Has the cancer spread to other organs? If so, where?
What does my prognosis look like?
Should I see a genetic counselor for testing?
Should any of my family members be tested?
Will I have a better chance of success if I travel to a cancer treatment center instead of seeing a local urologist?
Should I consider getting a second opinion?

Knowledge is power. By speaking with your doctor and finding answers to these questions, you can learn more about your bladder cancer diagnosis and make informed decisions about your treatment options.

What Increases Your Risk for Bladder Cancer & How Is It Staged?

There are risk factors that make you more likely to develop bladder cancer. These include:

Tobacco exposure: Smoking is the greatest risk factor for bladder cancer.
Sex: Males are diagnosed with bladder cancer more often than females.
Chemical exposure: Some chemicals used in dyes, rubber, leather, printing material, textiles, and paint products have been linked to risk of bladder cancer.
Age: The risk of bladder cancer increases as you age.
Genetic risk factors: Certain genetic alterations can predispose you to a higher bladder cancer risk. Lynch syndrome, for example, is a set of genetic alterations that can be passed among generations in a family and is associated with higher bladder cancer risk. If you have a first degree relative with bladder cancer you may have a higher bladder cancer risk yourself.

Meanwhile, it’s important for you and your doctor to understand as much as possible about your cancer, so that you can make the right decisions about your care. Bladder cancer, like all cancers, is staged into four main groups based upon the tumor size and location.

The staging system doctors typically use for bladder cancer is called tumor, node, metastasis (TNM). Each letter describes a different area of cancer growth. Through imaging and biopsy results, your doctor assigns a number to each letter, representing how much the cancer has spread. The higher the number, the larger the tumor or the more the cancer has spread.

Here are the four factors TNM is based on:

How far the tumor has grown through the bladder wall
Whether it has spread to any lymph nodes
Whether it has spread (metastasized) to other parts of your body
How fast the cancer is expected to grow

Bladder cancer has four stages, each of which is broken down further with a letter based on its extent

Finding Bladder Cancer Support

Support for anyone battling bladder cancer is important during and after cancer treatment. Ask your doctor about community organizations, support groups and other resources to help you connect with others.

Consider asking your health team the following questions:

Are there any resources available specifically for bladder cancer patients?
Should I speak with other patients who have had the same diagnosis?
Are there any support groups in my area?
Are there resources for paying medical bills?
Who should I contact for more information regarding these resources?
How do I find out what my insurance will/won’t cover?

Remaining positive throughout your journey, just as Sanders has done with the help of his loved ones, friends, and team, help you successfully manage your symptoms and take advantage of opportunities for support.

Get the answers to all of your questions so you can start your bladder cancer journey with the peace of mind that comes from knowing what to expect.