Hi Renee,
You are doing a good thing by asking for names of good doctors in your area. I'm sure you'll get some replies. U of Mich has great uro-oncology dept, Chicago University too. The Cleveland Clinic is not far away either.
If I were you I'd try to get in with whoever is the head of the dept of uro-oncology at the place you end up at.
You could ask the present doctor for his opinion of the best place for a second opinion.
I have a feeling he was discussing the 'combined modalities' approach of chemo and radiation instead of bladder removal. We have info on the main site on this option under 'treatment options'. A person would need to fit very strict criteria to qualify for this protocol, such as one single tumor in the right place of the bladder, no ureter obstructions and other things. I take it your father is in pretty good shape or the doctor wouldn't consider bringing this up. But...he may be in the middle of a trial himself and looking for candidates? I wonder.
It's a valid option but the response/cure rates are not higher than cystectomy. I know of a couple of people who have taken this path, it's not easy but it spares the bladder and sexual function and is very appealing to younger men.
At the bottom of this page is a link to a place where you can search out the best hospitals and doctors in your area:
blcwebcafe.org/newlydiagnosed.asp
All the best to you and your father.
Wendy