Treatment Options

Overview
Transurethral Resection
Partial Cystectomy
Radical Cystectomy
Radiation Therapy
Chemotherapy
Biologic Therapy

Bladder Cancer Treatment. There are numerous treatments for bladder cancer, but the most common are surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, biologic therapy or a combination of the four. Surgery is the primary course of treatment and depending on the stage of the cancer, there are several surgical options: transurethral resection, radical cystectomy or partial cystectomy.

Transurethral Resection (TUR) with Fulguration. This surgery is almost always the first step in the treatment of bladder cancer. The minimally invasive procedure involves the insertion of a cystoscope—a thin lighted tube with either an electrified loop or laser attachment—into the bladder through the urethra. Our skilled surgeons use this instrument to either biopsy or remove the tumor(s). After all visible cancerous tissue is eliminated, the electrified loop or laser is used to cauterize (sterilize with extreme heat) the base of the tumor and a rim of surrounding tissue in a process known as fulguration.

Partial Cystectomy. This surgery may be performed on patients with smaller tumors that have invaded certain areas of the bladder. Our surgeons will remove the affected section of the bladder, allowing most patients to maintain full urinary function.

Radical Cystectomy with Urinary Diversion. This surgery may be done to treat cancer that invades the muscle wall or involves a large portion of the bladder. In these instances our urological surgeons will opt to remove the bladder and any lymph nodes or nearby organs affected by cancer. For men this may include the removal of the prostate and the seminal vesicles, glands located just above the prostate that help create semen. In women the uterus, ovaries and/or a portion of the vagina may be removed. During the surgical removal of the bladder our surgeons will perform a delicate procedure called urinary diversion—the creation of another urinary path so that waste can leave the body.

Radiation Therapy. The goal of radiation therapy is to kill cancer cells while harming as little normal tissue as possible. This therapy may be used before, during and/or after chemotherapy and is delivered in one of two ways, depending on the type and stage of cancer being treated. Radiation can either be administered to the affected area(s) from a radiation source outside the body or radioactive material can be inserted through a needle directly into certain cancers.

Chemotherapy. This treatment uses potent drugs to eradicate, shrink and slow the growth of cancer and prevent its spread. The way chemotherapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated. If superficial (on the surface) bladder cancer is being treated, the urologist may place chemotherapy drugs directly in the bladder (intravesical chemotherapy). This form of chemotherapy remains within the bladder and treats only cells on the bladder lining. Because there is little absorption of intravesical chemotherapy, it rarely causes the same serious side effects as systemic (intravenous) chemotherapy. If deeply invasive or metastatic (wide spread) bladder cancer is being treated, our oncologists may administer chemotherapy intravenously (directly into the veins) throughout the body in a series of treatments over a period of weeks or months.

Biologic Therapy. Also called biotherapy or immunotherapy, this treatment uses the patient's own immune system to attack the cancer. The most common form of biologic therapy treats bladder cancer from within the bladder using a live bacterium called Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG). When BCG is placed in the bladder, it stimulates a very strong immune response that causes the destruction of cancer cells.

Seek the most aggressive treatments available from our Multidisciplinary Urologic Team with a referral from your primary care physician or with a self-referral by calling 1-877-LACKS-MI or 616-752-LACK(S).