With a diagnosis of bladder cancer, the first thing many patients want to know are their treatment options. Depending on the stage of cancer, the severity of the symptoms and other medical conditions, there are numerous medical treatments aimed at eradicating the disease.
Bladder Cancer Surgery:
There are several types of bladder cancer surgeries that can be done. In less severe cases, tumors are removed through the urethra under local anesthesia. The process, called a transurethral bladder resection, involves using a laser or electric current to remove the tumors. In more severe cases, all or part of the urinary bladder is removed. In men, the surgery includes removal of the bladder, prostate and seminal vesicles. In women, it includes the uterus, urethra, part of the vaginal wall and the bladder. Often, bladder lymph nodes are removed as well. These patients often undergo radiation therapy and chemotherapy as well. This decreases the chance of the cancer returning. Once the bladder is removed, surgeons then typically create a new urinary collection system that is located either inside the body, called a continent urinary reservoir, or outside the body, called an ileal conduit.
Chemotherapy for Bladder Cancer:
This treatment uses specialized medicines to kill cancer cells. For bladder cancer treatment, chemotherapy involves more than one drug in combination. It is given through the vein, called intravenously, or directly into the bladder, called intravesical therapy. The mixture of chemotherapy drugs given and the way it is delivered depends on the severity of the case and how the body responds. Chemotherapy drugs are considered effective because they are absorbed into cancer cells at a higher rate than absorption into normal cells. This allows the drug to kill off cancer cells and not normal cells.
Bladder Cancer Radiation Therapy:
Often given in conjunction with chemotherapy, radiation treatment uses high-dose radiation beams to destroy cancer cells. It is also used alone to kill cancer cells or before or after bladder-cancer surgery. For intensive radiation treatment, patients receive external radiation, which directs precise beams of radiation to exact locations on the bladder.
Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) Treatments:
Sometimes used as a vaccine against tuberculosis, BCG is the most commonly prescribed immunotherapeutic agent used in bladder cancer. It boosts or restores your natural defenses against the disease. BCG, which is derived from an inactive genetically engineered bacterium, has been most successfully used to prevent the recurrence of bladder cancer. BCG is given through a catheter directly into the bladder once a week for six weeks and can be used in conjunction with surgery.
There are several types of bladder cancer surgeries that can be done. In less severe cases, tumors are removed through the urethra under local anesthesia. The process, called a transurethral bladder resection, involves using a laser or electric current to remove the tumors. In more severe cases, all or part of the urinary bladder is removed. In men, the surgery includes removal of the bladder, prostate and seminal vesicles. In women, it includes the uterus, urethra, part of the vaginal wall and the bladder. Often, bladder lymph nodes are removed as well. These patients often undergo radiation therapy and chemotherapy as well. This decreases the chance of the cancer returning. Once the bladder is removed, surgeons then typically create a new urinary collection system that is located either inside the body, called a continent urinary reservoir, or outside the body, called an ileal conduit.
Chemotherapy for Bladder Cancer:
This treatment uses specialized medicines to kill cancer cells. For bladder cancer treatment, chemotherapy involves more than one drug in combination. It is given through the vein, called intravenously, or directly into the bladder, called intravesical therapy. The mixture of chemotherapy drugs given and the way it is delivered depends on the severity of the case and how the body responds. Chemotherapy drugs are considered effective because they are absorbed into cancer cells at a higher rate than absorption into normal cells. This allows the drug to kill off cancer cells and not normal cells.
Bladder Cancer Radiation Therapy:
Often given in conjunction with chemotherapy, radiation treatment uses high-dose radiation beams to destroy cancer cells. It is also used alone to kill cancer cells or before or after bladder-cancer surgery. For intensive radiation treatment, patients receive external radiation, which directs precise beams of radiation to exact locations on the bladder.
Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) Treatments:
Sometimes used as a vaccine against tuberculosis, BCG is the most commonly prescribed immunotherapeutic agent used in bladder cancer. It boosts or restores your natural defenses against the disease. BCG, which is derived from an inactive genetically engineered bacterium, has been most successfully used to prevent the recurrence of bladder cancer. BCG is given through a catheter directly into the bladder once a week for six weeks and can be used in conjunction with surgery.
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