| There are many different treatments | | | | require an opening for urine discharge |
| available for people diagnosed with | | | | (urostomy). Recent advances in surgical |
| bladder cancer. Treatment depends | | | | procedures are decreasing the number of |
| mainly on the stage of cancer. A cancer | | | | people with urostomies. |
| caught early enough will require less | | | | Chemotherapy can also be used to treat |
| dramatic measures than more advanced | | | | bladder cancer, often in combination |
| cancers. The most common treatment | | | | with surgery. Chemotherapy is a whole |
| options are surgery, radiation therapy, | | | | body treatment, meaning it affects the |
| chemotherapy and immunotherapy. In | | | | entire body not just the bladder. This |
| certain cases, your doctor may combine | | | | is why many chemotherapy patients |
| two or more treatment options, most | | | | experience side effects such as nausea, |
| commonly combining surgery with | | | | bruising, headache and fatigue. |
| chemotherapy or radiation therapy. | | | | Chemotherapy uses drugs (for example |
| Surgery may be performed with both early | | | | valrubicin, thiotepa and doxorubicin) to |
| and advanced bladder cancers. When | | | | kill cancer cells. These drugs can be |
| bladder cancer is caught early on, the | | | | given either in the form of a pill to be |
| tumor may be removed through the urinary | | | | swallowed or injected into a vein. If |
| opening, or urethra. This involves | | | | your bladder cancer is caught early |
| inserting small surgical instruments and | | | | enough, you may have the choice of |
| a laparoscope through the urethra. The | | | | receiving chemotherapy directly into |
| laparoscope is like a small telescope | | | | your bladder through the urethra. |
| and is used to find the tumor and | | | | Radiation therapy can also be used to |
| successfully remove it. This type of | | | | treat bladder cancer. This may be used |
| surgery is called a transurethral | | | | after surgery to kill any cancer cells |
| resection and rarely results in the | | | | that may have been missed by the |
| patient requiring an external urine | | | | surgeon. There are two ways radiation |
| collecting method. | | | | therapy may be performed, you may either |
| Once bladder cancer has spread, the | | | | receive a dose of radiation from a |
| surgical treatment usually involves | | | | machine, or your tumor is planted with |
| complete or partial bladder removal. A | | | | radioactive 'seeds' that slowly release |
| partial bladder removal (cystectomy) is | | | | their radiation. The side effects of |
| often reserved for patients with less | | | | radiation therapy can be an inflamed |
| invasive types of bladder cancer | | | | rectum, inability to control your |
| (usually cancers that start in cells | | | | bladder muscles, rash, or impotence (in |
| associated with frequent infections or | | | | men). |
| irritations) that occur near the top of | | | | Immunotherapy, also called biological |
| the bladder. A complete, or radical, | | | | therapy, is a treatment designed to |
| cystectomy may also involve removal of | | | | boost a person's immune system so the |
| nearby tissues. For men, a radical | | | | body can rid itself of the cancer. This |
| cystectomy often includes removal of the | | | | is accomplished by injecting a vaccine |
| prostate, the lymph nodes near the hip | | | | derived from the tuberculosis bacteria |
| and the semen conducting tubes. For a | | | | into the urethra. This vaccine puts the |
| woman, a radical cystectomy also | | | | immune system on high alert and causes |
| includes removing the reproductive | | | | it to kill the cancer cells. Common |
| organs (uterus, ovaries and fallopian | | | | side effects to this treatment option |
| tubes), part of the vagina and the | | | | are an inflamed bladder or prostate and |
| urethra. If you do undergo surgery to | | | | flu-like symptoms. |
| remove your bladder cancer, you may | | | | |