Bladder cancer is a form of cancer that affects the tissues of the bladder. It can occur in anyone of any age but is most commonly found in older adults. The treatment for bladder cancer greatly depends on the severity of the cancer when diagnosed. When diagnosed early, bladder cancer is highly treatable.
Transurethral Resection
The kind of surgery performed to treat bladder cancer depends on what kind of bladder cancer the patient has. Non-invasive bladder cancer, or bladder cancer that has not penetrated the deeper layers within the bladder wall, is typically treated with a transurethral resection. This involves removing only the tumor using a cytoscope, a thin tube-like instrument. Once inside the bladder, the cytoscope burns away the tumor with a high energy light beam.
Radical Cystectomy
A radical cystectomy is commonly performed with bladder cancer has permeated the inner walls of the bladder and potentially muscles and organs around the bladder. A surgeon will remove the bladder and any other organs or lymph nodes that contain cancer. In men, some of the organs that could be removed are the seminal vesicles and prostate. In women, the uterus and ovaries may be removed if affected by the cancer.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a drug used to either kill cancer cells or cease their reproduction. Chemotherapy may be administered intravenously by injecting it into a vein or muscle or directly into the bladder by entering through the urethra using a catheter. Chemotherapy is sometimes used to kill any remaining cancer cells after surgery or to shrink any tumors that may be too large for surgery. Chemotherapy is also often used along with radiation therapy.
Radiation
Radiation therapy is a form of treatment that uses a high energy beam targeted directly at the affected area. Radiation therapy can be administered one of two ways: using beams from an external machine or external radiation therapy and internal radiation therapy that uses seeds that are inserted in or near the cancer. Seeds are small pellets that are made of radioactive material that gives off energy as the materials break down, killing cancerous cells.
Biological Therapy
Biological therapy, also known as immunotherapy, uses the body's own immune system to aid in fighting cancer cells. Biological therapy for bladder cancer is usually given by going through the urethra and drugs are put directly into the bladder. The drug Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is administered to stimulate the immune system while interferon alfa is a synthetic immune system cell. Sometimes these drugs are used simultaneously in combination therapy or are given after a transurethral resection to lessen the chance of a cancer recurrence.
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