On Verge of PGA: Big Hitter John Daly, 58, Mourns His Friend Toby Keith- Their Bladder Cancer Battles

Focusing on the Positive After Cancer

• Professional golfer John Daly, 58, will join a cast of golfers for the 2024 PGA Championship. He is just a few years removed from being diagnosed with bladder cancer. He’s undergone treatment. However, there’s a chance of his cancer returning.
• Bladder cancer develops when cells that make up the urinary bladder grow and eventually become tumors. Smoking is a leading risk factor for this disease, and Daly was a heavy smoker before his diagnosis. Common symptoms 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.

Pro golfer John Daly, 58, will return to the greens for the PGA Championship and hopefully reclaim the top prize in this year’s tournament. Daly is just four years removed from a bladder cancer diagnosis, so a win would cap off a rough few years he described as “painful” amid treatment.

Daly will join the 2024 PGA Championship Field List at Valhalla Golf Club in mid-May. Ahead of Daly’s announced participation, the PGA Tour Champions shared a montage of clips throughout the ‘90s and early 2000s showcasing Daly’s “legendary swing” on his birthday. Instagram user Marion Ledbetter commented , “Love this guy! Real, genuine, and a swing that never changes! What a great guy!” As evident with the nice montage of Daly’s swing over the years, he’s managed to remain at a high level in the sport of golf despite having a brutal bout with bladder cancer in 2020.

Helping Patients Better Understand Bladder Cancer

• Bladder Cancer: Key Terms to Know
• Can Urinary Tract Infections Cause Bladder Cancer?
• Can Metastatic Bladder Cancer Be Treated With Immunotherapy?
• Digital Guide: Bladder Cancer & Surgery
• FDA Approves the First Major New Alternative to Surgery for Bladder Cancer in 20 years
• How is Bladder Cancer Treated Differently Once it Has Spread Beyond the Bladder?

Daly’s Cancer Journey

Daly’s cancer journey began with a painful bout with kidney stones and back pains. He told the Golf Channel that when he saw his urologist, his back pain did not derive from kidney stones; instead, he had bladder cancer. “They told me I had bladder cancer, but it was one I could beat. I’ll have to change some things in life, but I can beat it,” Daly said . Daly said his first stint with chemotherapy "kicked [his] butt." "They put a catheter in me, right in my you-know-what. They put a camera in there. And if they need to treat it, they put a jigsaw in there and cut it out. It sucks. And then you – when you pee for seven to 14 days, it hurts. It hurts. But my cancer, I’m lucky that it was caught real quick," Daly described on the Full Send Podcast. Daly quickly adopted a positive mindset about his diagnosis. He mentally prepared himself for several rounds of chemotherapy, which admittedly was a challenging experience. Despite chemo, he was told there was a good chance his cancer would relapse and return even if he beat it initially. Daly offered insight into his lifestyle habits, which may have contributed to his diagnosis. “A lot of people have had it, and a lot of them have made it. I only smoked six cigarettes today,” Daily said in 2020 to Sanford Health. “Normally, I’d smoke about a pack and a half. I’m trying to slow everything down,” he continued. Daly underwent surgery to remove the cancer successfully. After initial treatment, Daly started going for check-ups every six months and will do so for a few more years. Daly’s cancer journey has encouraged him to lead a healthier lifestyle, which included quitting cigarettes and cutting back on sodas.

Understanding Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer is the sixth-most common type of cancer overall in the United States, though it is the fourth-most common for men. Your bladder is a hollow, muscular, balloon-shaped organ that expands as it fills with urine. The bladder is an essential part of your urinary system. WATCH: Understanding Bladder Cancer Symptoms Bladder cancer develops when cells that make up the urinary bladder start to grow and eventually develop into tumors. Smoking is a leading risk factor for this disease, with smokers being three times Symptoms of bladder cancer may include:

• Frequent urination
• Painful urination
• Flank pain (around the sides of your body)
• Urgency
• Blood in Urine

Bladder Cancer Treatment

Bladder cancer can be treated in various ways, but your doctor will consider several factors to determine the best treatment. Where the cancer is inside your body and if it has spread are some factors doctors look at before finalizing your treatment plan. Surgery for bladder cancer often offers the best chance for a cure. There are various surgical options depending on the location of your bladder cancer. For patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, treatment will most likely consist of transurethral resection of visible bladder tumor (TURBT). During this procedure, the surgeon gently inserts a surgical instrument containing a camera into the urethra and pushes it upward until it reaches the bladder. Once at the bladder, the instrument is used to remove all the tumors that the surgeon can see on camera. Most patients can leave the hospital on the same day, but some may need to stay longer, depending on how much tissue has to be removed. WATCH: Treating Late-Stage Bladder Cancer If the surgeon and pathologist determine that more tissue needs to be removed, additional surgery may be performed four to six weeks later. 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. This is combined with routine imaging of the urinary tract. Chemotherapy is usually recommended before cystectomy or the total or partial removal of the bladder. Giving chemotherapy prior, or “neoadjuvant,” has been shown in large trials to improve survival in bladder cancer. Other options to treat bladder cancer may include immunotherapy or targeted therapy . A relatively new Food and Drug Administration-approved immunotherapy and chemotherapy combination has shown promise for people diagnosed with metastatic bladder cancers who cannot receive cisplatin-based treatment. The unique combination is enfortumab vedotin (also known as Padcev) and pembrolizumab (known as Keytruda). In a study of the combination, the new treatment achieved a response in 64.5% of the patients.

Risk Factors for Bladder Cancer

Smoking poses several health and cancer risks, and among them include bladder cancer. The National Institutes of Health says about half of all bladder cancer cases stem from smoking. One reason smoking is so harmful to the bladder is that the toxins in nicotine and its chemical compounds can linger in the bladder for a long time before they are removed from the body in urine. "The first and foremost thing for a healthy bladder is, don’t smoke," says Dr. Arjun Balar , director of the genitourinary oncology program at NYU Langone's Perlmutter Cancer Center. "I think that’s an obvious suggestion for a number of reasons. But if we can eliminate cancer risks that are related to smoking, that’s probably the most important thing you can do," Dr. Balar added. WATCH: Understanding bladder cancer risk factors. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says tobacco smoke contains a mixture of more than 7,000 different chemicals, at least 70 of which are known to cause cancer. Cigarette smoking is linked to about 80 to 90 percent of lung cancer deaths, and people who smoke cigarettes are 15 to 30 times more likely to get lung cancer or die from lung cancer than people who don’t smoke. Additionally, second-hand smoke can cause lung cancer .