What to Know About Your Treat... Health Article

Researchers are always finding new treatments for bladder cancer. People with cancer now have more hope for survival than ever before. In this section we will cover the details of different treatments.

The choices that you have for treatment depend on several things.

• Type, size, and location of the tumor in your bladder

• Results of lab tests

• Extent of the disease, called the stage

• Status of your health and your age

• Personal needs and considerations you have

Treatment for bladder cancer is either local or systemic. You may have just one treatment or a combination of different treatments.

Local treatments remove, destroy, or control cancer cells in one certain area. For bladder cancer, these are all examples of local treatment.

• Surgery

• Radiotherapy

• Chemotherapy or immunotherapy put into the bladder

Systemic treatments are used to destroy or control cancer cells throughout the body. Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment.

Types of Treatment for Bladder Cancer

Different types of treatments have different goals. Here are some of the types of treatment for bladder cancer and their goals, listed from the most to least commonly performed.

• Surgery. The goal of surgery is to remove the tumor--or tumors, if there are more than one--from the bladder. The surgeon will try to leave as much of the bladder intact as possible. Sometimes the entire bladder must be removed. Even if the doctor removes all the cancer, some cancer cells may have escaped from the bladder and traveled to other parts of the body. You may be given chemotherapy or radiation after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells.

• Immunotherapy. The goal of immunotherapy is to boost the ability of the immune system to kill cancer cells. This treatment may be used alone to treat superficial bladder cancer. It is done by inserting medicine directly into the bladder, called intravesical therapy.

• Radiotherapy. The goal of radiation is to kill cancer cells using high energy X-rays. It’s also used to get rid of any remaining cancer cells after surgery. It may be used by itself without surgery or used together with chemotherapy.

• Chemotherapy. The goal of chemotherapy is to kill cancer cells in the bladder or other parts of the body. It may be given after surgery to kill any cancer cells that remain. It may also be used to treat bladder cancer that has spread to other parts of the body.

New methods for treating bladder cancer are tested in clinical trials. Before beginning treatment, ask your doctor if there are any clinical trials you should consider.