Interstitial cystitis is a chronic inflammatory condition in which the lining of the bladder becomes irritated for no obvious reason and stays that way. This inflammation causes some people to feel a near-constant sense of pain or discomfort, which is why it is also known as bladder pain syndrome. 

But is there a connection between interstitial cystitis and bladder cancer? Does having interstitial cystitis increase your odds...

“I was very lucky to go to MD Anderson,” says Chuck Schlesinger.

In early 2015, Chuck was playing tennis when he felt a sharp pain in his neck. Thinking it was a sports-related injury, he went to a local specialist north of Houston to get it checked out. But X-rays revealed a tumor.

The tumor sat in Chuck’s cervical spine, nestled among the bones of his neck. Given the tumor’s location in the delicate cervical vertebrae,...