Bladder Cancer Treatment
When it comes to treatment, the health care team at the John Stoddard Cancer Center will help you to make the right decision. Treatment options for bladder cancer depend on the stage of the disease. The main types of treatment are surgery, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and/or chemotherapy.
Surgery
There are several surgeries for bladder cancer. The most common types of surgery are:
- Transurethral Surgery: Used most often for early stage bladder cancer, a slender tube with a lens and a light is placed into the bladder through the urethra. It is unnecessary to cut into the abdomen. After surgery, there may be other steps to get rid of any remaining cancer. These steps could include burning the base of the tumor using the cystoscope or treatment with a laser.
- Cystectomy: This surgery is used for bladder cancer that has spread. It involves cutting through the abdomen. When only part of the bladder is removed, it is called a partial cystectomy. If the entire bladder is removed, it is a radical cystectomy. If the entire bladder is removed, nearby lymph nodes are also removed. In men, the prostate is removed as well. In women, the womb (uterus), ovaries, fallopian tubes, and a small part of the vagina also are often removed.
Intravesical Immunotherapy
One example of intravesical immunotherapy involves using BCG. BCG is a bacteria (Bacillus Calmette-Guerin) sometimes used to vaccinate people against TB (tuberculosis). BCG is administered directly into the bladder through a catheter. The body's immune system responds to BCG. Immune system cells get drawn to the bladder and attack the cancer. It is usually given once a week for six weeks.
Chemotherapy
In systemic chemotherapy, the cancer-killing drugs are administered either orally or intravenously and then travel through the bloodstream to all parts of the body. In this treatment, the drugs can attack cancer cells that have already spread beyond the bladder to lymph nodes and other organs.
Some forms of chemotherapy are placed directly into the bladder (intravesical). Drugs administered this way only reach cancer cells near the bladder lining. As a result, this treatment is used only for early stage bladder cancer.
Radiation Therapy
After surgery, radiation can kill small deposits of cancer cells that may not be seen during surgery.
Prognosis
Chances of recovery depend on the stage of the cancer (whether it's superficial or invasive), the type of bladder cells affected, and the patient's age and general health.