Treatment options for bladder cancer depends on many factors, such as the type and stage of cancer, general health status and treatment preferences. Discuss the options with your doctor to determine which treatments are best for you.
Surgical procedures
Type of surgery that can be based on factors such as stage, the risk of bladder cancer, general health, and selection.
Surgery for bladder cancer early
If the tumor is very small and has not invaded the bladder wall, the doctor may recommend:
Surgery to remove the tumor. Transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) is often used to remove bladder cancers that are confined to the inner layers of the bladder. During TURBT, to your doctor for a small loop around the urethra and bladder. Loop is used to burn the cancer cells with an electric current (fulguration). In some cases, a high-energy laser is used instead of electricity. TURBT can cause painful urination or bloody for a few days after the procedure.
Surgery to remove the tumor and a small portion of the bladder. When segmental cystectomy, sometimes called a partial cystectomy, the surgeon removes only part of the bladder that contains cancer cells. Cystectomy segmentation may be an option if the cancer is just one area of the bladder, which can be easily removed without damaging the bladder function.
Surgery carries a risk of bleeding and infection. You may experience increased frequency of urination after partial cystectomy, since the surgery reduces the size of your bladder. Over time, the better, but in some people, it is permanent.
Surgery for invasive bladder cancer
If the cancer has invaded deeper layers of the bladder wall, you might consider:
Surgery to remove the entire bladder. Radical cystectomy is a surgery to remove the entire bladder and surrounding lymph nodes. Radical cystectomy in men usually includes the removal of the prostate and seminal vesicles. In women, radical cystectomy involves removal of the uterus, ovaries, and part of the vagina.
Cystectomy carries a risk of infection and bleeding. In men, removal of the prostate and seminal vesicles cause infertility. But in most cases, your surgeon may attempt to spare the nerves that are needed for an erection. In women, the elimination of causes of ovarian infertility and premature menopause in women who have not experienced menopause before the operation.
Surgery to create a new way of urine leaves your body. Immediately after radical cystectomy, the surgeon will work to create a new way to expel urine. Several alternatives exist. Which option is best for you depends on cancer, health, and selection. The surgeon may create a tube (urine canal) using a piece of intestine. The pipe passes through the kidneys outside the body, in which the urine flows into a bag (urostomy pouch), you put your stomach.
In the second procedure, the surgeon may use a portion of intestine to create a small reservoir for urine inside the body (skin, urinary continent diversion). To download the hole of the tank in the stomach, urinary catheter, with a couple of times a day.
In this case select the surgeon can create a repository of the bladder, like a piece of your bowel (neobladder). This deposit is located within the body and joins the urethra, allowing you to urinate normally. You may need to use a catheter to drain all the urine from your bladder.
Biological therapy (immunotherapy)
Biological therapy, immunotherapy, is sometimes referred to as signaling the body's immune system cells to help fight cancer. Biological treatment for bladder cancer is typically administered through the urethra and directly into the bladder (intravesical therapy).
Biological therapy drugs used to treat bladder cancer include:
Bacteria to stimulate immunity. Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is a bacterium used in vaccines against tuberculosis. BCG can cause bladder irritation and blood in your urine. Some people feel like they have the flu after treatment with BCG.
A synthetic version of an immune system protein. Interferon is a protein that makes your immune system to help your body fight infections. A synthetic version of interferon called interferon alpha can be used to treat bladder cancer. Alpha interferon is sometimes used in combination with BCG. Alpha interferon can cause flu-like symptoms.
Biological treatment may be given after TURBT to reduce the risk that cancer will recur.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy for bladder cancer usually involves two or more chemotherapy drugs used in combination. Medications may be given through a vein in your arm (intravenously) or may be administered directly into the bladder through a tube into the urethra (intravesical).
Chemotherapy can kill cancer cells remaining after surgery. It can also be used before surgery. In this case, chemotherapy may shrink the tumor enough to allow the surgeon a less invasive way. Chemotherapy is sometimes combined with radiotherapy.
Radiotherapy
Radiation therapy is used a lot of energy bars in cancer is to destroy cancer cells. Radiation therapy may be a machine outside the body (external radiation) or may be a device within the bladder (brachytherapy).
Radiotherapy can be used before surgery to shrink a tumor so that it can easily be removed. Radiation therapy can also be used after surgery to kill cancer cells that may be. Radiation therapy is sometimes associated with chemotherapy.
