Chad Ritch, MD

Dr. Ritch’s professional leadership includes service on the original American Urological Association (AUA) expert panel for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) in 2016, where he contributed to national guidelines for risk stratification and treatment. More recently, he participated in the development of new bladder cancer guidelines from the American Society for Radiation Oncology, which are pending publication.

As the Society of Urologic Oncology’s representative to the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, Dr. Ritch is helping develop and align quality standards for urologic cancer care. 

In addition, he was selected for the 2025–2026 AUA Leadership Program. Upon completion, he will be appointed to an AUA executive committee.

A prolific researcher, Dr. Ritch has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and scientific presentations and has served as principal investigator on numerous clinical trials. A major focus of his work has been improving the quality of bladder cancer care.

Recently published work includes the CISTO study, a patient-centered comparison of intravesical bladder-sparing therapy versus radical cystectomy for recurrent high-grade NMIBC. 

Dr. Ritch also collaborated on research demonstrating that compliance with guidelines for intravesical chemotherapy after bladder tumor removal is below 25%, providing evidence for the Commission on Cancer initiating a new quality measure. 

Among the studies Dr. Ritch brings to Cleveland Clinic in Florida is an investigator-initiated trial evaluating genomic biomarkers to assess bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) response in high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). An immunotherapy for early-stage bladder cancer, BCG is instilled directly into the bladder to treat NMIBC by triggering an immune response against tumors.

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As of 2026-03-03, Dr. Ritch has reported no financial relationship with industry that is applicable to this listing.

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