
Medication
Why choose Memorial Sloan Kettering for bladder cancer treatment?
- Our multidisciplinary team is among the most experienced in the field. ...
- Our surgeons are highly skilled at using advanced techniques that can limit side effects and speed recovery. ...
- Our medical oncologists specialize in chemotherapy for bladder cancer. ...
- Our radiation oncologists use advanced techniques to target areas at risk. ...
Procedures
When chemo is used without radiation, the most common combinations include:
- Gemcitabine and cisplatin
- Dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin (Adriamycin), and cisplatin (DDMVAC)
- Cisplatin, methotrexate, and vinblastine (CMV)
- Gemcitabine and paclitaxel
Therapy
You'll need to stay in the hospital for about a week after the surgery. You can usually go back to your normal activities after several weeks. In some cases, the surgeon may operate through many smaller incisions using special long, thin instruments, one of which has a tiny video camera on the end to see inside your body.
Nutrition
- Urinary tract infection (UTI)
- Interstitial cystitis (recurring pelvic pain due to inflammation)
- Sexually transmitted diseases (STIs, such as herpes)
- Pregnancy
- Ovarian cysts
- Enlarged prostate
- Neurogenic bladder (lack of bladder control due to nerve damage to the bladder)
- Polycystic kidney disease
What are the best treatment centers for bladder cancer?
What is the latest treatment for bladder cancer?
What is the recovery time for bladder cancer surgery?
What are the stages of bladder cancer?
What is the first treatment for bladder cancer?
What is stage 0 bladder cancer?
What is the treatment for T3 tumors?
What to do if you have cancer that hasn't been removed?
How to get rid of stage IV cancer?
What is the treatment for cancer that recurs in distant parts of the body?
Can you get a partial cystectomy for bladder cancer?
See more
About this website

What stage is low grade bladder cancer?
People with low-grade noninvasive bladder cancer (stage 0a) are treated with transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) first. Low-grade noninvasive bladder cancer rarely turns into aggressive, invasive, or metastatic disease, but patients are at risk for developing more low-grade cancers throughout their life.
What is the prognosis for low grade bladder cancer?
Grade. Low-grade bladder cancers do not usually grow into the muscle layer of the bladder wall and do not usually spread to other parts of the body. Because of this, low-grade bladder cancers tend to have a good prognosis.
Can low grade non invasive bladder cancer be cured?
Follow-up and outlook after treatment The outlook for people with stage 0a (non-invasive papillary) bladder cancer is very good. These cancers can be cured with treatment. During long-term follow-up care, more superficial cancers are often found in the bladder or in other parts of the urinary system.
Can low grade bladder cancer turn into high grade?
Seventy percent of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancers are Ta and non-invasive, low-grade tumors have a high 5-year recurrence rate (31 to 78%), low risk of progression to high-grade disease, and require cystoscopy for detection of tumor recurrence [3–6].
Does low grade bladder cancer come back?
Low-grade bladder cancers recur frequently, and recurrences require treatment with a procedure called transurethral resection for bladder tumor, or TURBT. Some patients experience multiple recurrences and, as a result, undergo repeated surgeries.
Can low grade cancer curable?
Low-grade cancer cells look more like normal cells and tend to grow and spread more slowly than high-grade cancer cells. Cancer grade may be used to help plan treatment and determine prognosis. Low-grade cancers usually have a better prognosis than high-grade cancers and may not need treatment right away.
How often does low grade bladder cancer come back?
In our population of initially diagnosed low grade Ta bladder tumors, the recurrence rate and WP rate were 43.2% and 11.1%, respectively.
What causes low grade bladder cancer?
People can get bladder cancer when they come into contact with tobacco or other cancer-causing agents. There also are some risks related to genes and certain types of infections. Another known risk factor is a type of radiation beam aimed at the pelvis.
How long can you live with stage 1 bladder cancer?
Among people diagnosed with localized bladder cancer (sometimes called Stage 1) in the United State, the average five-year survival rate is around 70%. This five-year survival rate means that on average, around 70 out of 100 people diagnosed at that stage are alive five years after being diagnosed.
Is bladder cancer curable if caught early?
What are the most common treatments for bladder cancer? Bladder cancer is highly treatable when it is diagnosed in the early stages.
Can Stage 1 bladder cancer be cured?
The stage of the cancer (whether it is superficial or invasive bladder cancer, and whether it has spread to other places in the body). Bladder cancer in the early stages can often be cured.
What are the symptoms of stage 1 bladder cancer?
SymptomsBlood in urine (hematuria), which may cause urine to appear bright red or cola colored, though sometimes the urine appears normal and blood is detected on a lab test.Frequent urination.Painful urination.Back pain.
Treating Stage 0 Bladder Cancer
Stage 0 bladder cancer includes non-invasive papillary carcinoma (Ta) and flat non-invasive carcinoma (Tis). In either case, the cancer has not inv...
Treating Stage I Bladder Cancer
Stage I bladder cancers have grown into the connective tissue layer of the bladder wall but have not reached the muscle layer.Transurethral resecti...
Treating Stage II Bladder Cancer
These cancers have invaded the muscle layer of the bladder wall. Transurethral resection (TURBT) is typically the first treatment for these cancers...
Treating Stage III Bladder Cancer
These cancers have reached the outside of the bladder and might have grown into nearby tissues or organs.Transurethral resection (TURBT) is typical...
Treating Stage IV Bladder Cancer
These cancers have reached the abdominal or pelvic wall (T4b tumors) or have spread to nearby lymph nodes or distant parts of the body. Stage IV ca...
Treating Bladder Cancer That Progresses Or Recurs
If cancer continues to grow during treatment (progresses) or comes back (recurs), your treatment options will depend on where and how much the canc...
How quickly does bladder cancer grow and spread? - HealthTap
It depends: There are different types of bladder cancer.Some behave very aggressively while others do not. Generally, high grade (a microscopic feature) cancers are associated with high risk of larger tumors (high stage) which may spread and even be fatal.
Bladder Cancer: Stages and Grades
ON THIS PAGE: You will learn about how doctors describe a cancer’s growth or spread, as well as the way the tumor cells look when viewed under a microscope. This is called the stage and grade. Use the menu to see other pages.What is cancer staging?Staging is a way of describing where the cancer is located, if or where it has invaded or spread, and whether it is affecting other parts of the body.
Staging and grading of bladder cancer - Macmillan Cancer Support
Your cancer doctor needs certain information about the cancer to advise you on the best treatment for you. This includes the stage of the bladder cancer and its grade. They get this information from the tests you have.
Treatment Options Under Clinical Evaluation For Patients With Any T Any N M1 Disease
Prognosis is poor in patients with stage IV disease and consideration of entry into a clinical trial is appropriate.
Treatment Options For Recurrent Bladder Cancer
Treatment options for patients with recurrent bladder cancer include the following:
Ajcc Stage Groupings And Tnm Definitions
The American Joint Committee on Cancer has designated staging by TNM classification to define bladder cancer.
What Do I Need To Know To Prepare For Bcg Treatment
Restrict your fluid intake, caffeinated beverages and use of diuretics 4 hours prior to procedure if possible.
Bladder Cancer Clinical Trials
You may hear about clinical trials for your bladder cancer. Clinical trials are research studies that test if a new treatment or procedure is safe and effective.
Prognosis And Survival For Bladder Cancer
If you have bladder cancer, you may have questions about your prognosis. A prognosis is the doctors best estimate of how cancer will affect someone and how it will respond to treatment. Prognosis and survival depend on many factors.
Survival Rates For Bladder Cancer
Survival rates can give you an idea of what percentage of people with the same type and stage of cancer are still alive a certain amount of time after they were diagnosed. They cant tell you how long you will live, but they may help give you a better understanding of how likely it is that your treatment will be successful.
What is a low grade bladder cancer?
Low-grade bladder cancer. This type of cancer has cells that are closer in appearance and organization to normal cells (well differentiated). A low-grade tumor usually grows more slowly and is less likely to invade the muscular wall of the bladder than is a high-grade tumor. High-grade bladder cancer.
How does radiation therapy help bladder cancer?
Radiation therapy. Radiation therapy uses beams of powerful energy, such as X-rays and protons, to destroy the cancer cells. Radiation therapy for bladder cancer usually is delivered from a machine that moves around your body, directing the energy beams to precise points.
How to diagnose bladder cancer?
Tests and procedures used to diagnose bladder cancer may include: Using a scope to examine the inside of your bladder (cystoscopy). To perform cystoscopy, your doctor inserts a small , narrow tube (cystoscope) through your urethra. The cystoscope has a lens that allows your doctor to see the inside of your urethra and bladder, ...
What is retrograde pyelogram?
Retrograde pyelogram is an X-ray exam used to get a detailed look at the upper urinary tract. During this test, your doctor threads a thin tube (catheter) through your urethra and into your bladder to inject contrast dye into your ureters. The dye then flows into your kidneys while X-ray images are captured.
How to get a follow up on bladder cancer?
Get a schedule of follow-up tests and go to each appointment. When you finish bladder cancer treatment, ask your doctor to create a personalized schedule of follow- up tests. Before each follow-up cystoscopy exam, expect to have some anxiety. You may fear that cancer has come back or worry about the uncomfortable exam.
What tests can be done to determine if you have bladder cancer?
Tests may include: CT scan.
How is bladder cancer classified?
Bladder cancers are further classified based on how the cancer cells appear when viewed through a microscope. This is known as the grade, and your doctor may describe bladder cancer as either low grade or high grade:
What is the best treatment for bladder cancer?
In general, the main treatment options for bladder cancer are: Surgery. Chemotherapy. Immunotherapy (local and systemic) Targeted therapy. Radiation therapy. To learn more about the basics of each type of treatment, read this guide’s Types of Treatment section.
What is stage IV bladder cancer?
Metastatic urothelial cancer (stage IV) If bladder cancer has spread to another part of the body, doctors call it metastatic bladder cancer. If this happens, it is a good idea to talk with doctors, usually medical oncologists, who have experience in treating it.
What is neoadjuvant therapy?
Neoadjuvant therapy is treatment that is given before surgery, such as cisplatin-based chemotherapy. The treatments your doctor recommends mainly depend on the stage of bladder cancer. Treatment for cancer in the renal pelvis and/or ureter follow the same treatment plans based on the stage of the disease.
What is the first line of treatment for urothelial cancer?
The first treatment a person is given for advanced urothelial cancer is called first-line therapy . If that treatment stops working, then a person receives second-line therapy.
Can pembrolizumab be used for bladder cancer?
Pembrolizumab is approved by the FDA to treat bladder cancer that has not been stopped by, or responded to, BCG treatment (also called “BCG-unresponsive”) and radical cystectomy to remove the bladder cannot be done because of other medical reasons or the patient chooses not to have that surgery.
Can bladder cancer be removed?
Surgery is often among the first treatments, and the standard treatment is a radical cystectomy (see “Surgery” in Types of Treatment ). Lymph nodes near the bladder are usually removed as well. A TURBT may still be done, but it usually is used to help the doctor figure out the extent of the cancer rather than as a treatment.
Is bladder cancer recurrent?
This will then be followed with long-term surveillance. People with high-grade, non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer are at higher risk for the tumor returning, called a recurrent tumor. Sometimes a tumor comes back at a more advanced stage, with a risk of developing into metastatic bladder cancer.
What is the best test for bladder cancer?
When bladder cancer is suspected, the most useful diagnostic test is cystoscopy. Radiological studies such as CT scans or ultrasound do not have sufficient sensitivity to be useful for detecting bladder cancers. Cystoscopy can be performed in a urology clinic.
What are the clinical features of bladder cancer?
Clinical Features. Bladder cancer typically presents with gross or microscopic hematuria. Less commonly, patients may complain of urinary frequency, nocturia, and dysuria, symptoms that are more common in patients with carcinoma in situ.
What is the term for a tumor that forms in the transitional epithelium?
Most cancers that form in these tissues are transitional cell carcinomas (also called urothelial carcinomas ) that derive from transitional epithelium. (Refer to the PDQ summaries on Renal Cell Cancer Treatment and Transitional Cell Cancer of the Renal Pelvis and Ureter Treatment for more information.)
What is the specialized membrane that surrounds the bladder called?
Under normal conditions, the bladder, the lower part of the kidneys (the renal pelvises), the ureters, and the proximal urethra are lined with a specialized mucous membrane referred to as transitional epithelium (also called urothelium). Most cancers that form in these tissues are transitional cell carcinomas (also called urothelial carcinomas) that derive from transitional epithelium. (Refer to the PDQ summaries on Renal Cell Cancer Treatment and Transitional Cell Cancer of the Renal Pelvis and Ureter Treatment for more information.)
What is the urinary tract?
The urinary tract consists of the kidneys, the ureters, the bladder, and the urethra. The urinary tract is lined with transitional cell urothelium from the renal pelvis to the proximal urethra. Transitional cell carcinoma (also referred to as urothelial carcinoma) can develop anywhere along this pathway.
What type of cancer is found in the bladder?
In addition to transitional cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas, adenocarcinomas, small cell carcinomas, and sarcomas can form in the bladder. In the United States, transitional cell carcinomas represent most (>90%) bladder cancers.
How common is bladder cancer?
Of the roughly 83,000 new cases annually, about 64,000 are in men and about 19,000 are in women.
What are the different grades of bladder cancer?
What are the different “grades” for a bladder cancer tumor? Grade is expressed as a number between 1 (low) and 3 (high, i.e. G3); the higher the number the less the tumor resembles a normal cell. In lieu of numbers to grade a bladder cancer tumor, your doctor may refer to the tumor simply as low or high grade.
How many types of bladder cancer are there?
Three types of bladder cancer may form, and each type of tumor can be present in one or more areas of the bladder, and more than one type can be present at the same time: Papillary tumors stick out from the bladder lining on a stalk. They tend to grow into the bladder cavity, away from the bladder wall, instead of deeper into the layers ...
Where do bladder cancers occur?
While the majority of bladder cancers (approximately 90-95%) arise in the bladder, the urothelial cells that line the bladder are found in other locations in the urinary system. Sometimes these urothelial cancers can occur in the lining of the kidney or in the ureter that connects the kidney to the bladder.
What doctor examines cancer tissue?
Urologists typically send a sample of the cancer tissue to a pathologist, a doctor who specializes in examining tissue to determine the stage and grade of the cancer. The pathologist writes a report with a diagnosis, and then sends it to your urologist.
Where is urothelial cancer located?
This is known as upper tract urothelial cancer (UTUC) correspond to a subset of urothelial cancers that arise in the urothelial cells in the lining of the kidney (called the renal pelvis) or the ureter ( the long, thin tube that connects that kidney to the bladder). Learn more about UTUC here.
What is low grade bladder cancer?
Bladder cancer is called low grade or high grade. Low-grade bladder cancer means the cancer has not invaded the muscles around the bladder (non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer). People rarely die from this type of bladder cancer, it often recurs after treatment.
How long does bladder cancer last?
The stage of cancer generally refers to how far it has progressed, and whether it has spread to other parts of the body. For bladder cancer, the 5-year survival rate for people with: 2,3. If you would like to learn more about bladder cancer statistics, consider speaking with someone on your health care team.
What percentage of bladder cancer is metastasized?
Bladder cancer that has spread to the regional lymph nodes is 35 percent. Distant or metastasized bladder cancer is 5 percent (sometimes called "Stage 4") If you would like to learn more about bladder cancer statistics, consider speaking with someone on your health care team.
Can bladder cancer be cured?
Bladder cancer can often be cured, or brought into remission, especially if treated early. However, bladder cancer tend s to reappear . Overall, the chances of your cancer being cured depend on your type of cancer and how far it has spread. 1.
What is the difference between high grade and low grade bladder cancer?
Low grade bladder cancer means that your cancer is less likely to grow, spread and come back after treatment. High grade means your cancer is more likely to grow spread and come back after treatment.
What is grade 3 cancer?
Grade 3. The cancer cells look very abnormal. They are called high grade or poorly differentiated. They grow more quickly and are more likely to come back after treatment or spread into the deeper (muscle) layer of the bladder.
What does the grade of cancer mean?
The grade of a cancer means how much the cancer cells look like normal cells. It tells your doctor how the cancer might behave and what treatment you need. To find the grade of cancer cells, doctors take tissue samples (biopsies) and send them to the laboratory.
What is cancer cell?
The cancers cells look very like normal cells. They are called low grade or well differentiated. They tend to grow slowly and generally stay in the lining of the bladder.
Is bladder cancer a non-cancerous tumor?
This divides bladder cancers into 4 groups: urothelial papilloma means it is a non cancerous (benign) tumour. papillary urothelial neoplasm of low malignant potential (PUNLMP) means it is a very slow growing tumour that is unlikely to spread. low grade papillary urothelial carcinoma is a slow growing cancer that is unlikely to spread.
What is the first treatment for bladder cancer?
Chemo (with or without radiation) is typically the first treatment when bladder cancer has spread to distant parts of the body (M1). After this treatment the cancer is rechecked. If it looks like it's gone, a boost of radiation to the bladder may be given or cystectomy might be done.
What is stage 0 bladder cancer?
Stage 0 bladder cancer includes non-invasive papillary carcinoma (Ta) and flat non-invasive carcinoma (Tis or carcinoma in situ). In either case, the cancer is only in the inner lining layer of the bladder. It has not invaded (spread deeper into) the bladder wall.
What is the treatment for T3 tumors?
An option for some patients with single, small tumors (some T3) might be treatment with a second (and more extensive) transurethral resection (TURBT) followed by a combination of chemo and radiation. If cancer is still found when cystoscopy is repeated, cystectomy might be needed.
What to do if you have cancer that hasn't been removed?
(Less often, close follow-up alone might be an option.) If all of the cancer wasn't removed, options are intravesical BCG or cystectomy (removal of part or all of the bladder).
How to get rid of stage IV cancer?
The tumor is then rechecked. If it appears to be gone, chemo with or without radiation or cystectomy are options.
What is the treatment for cancer that recurs in distant parts of the body?
Cancers that recur in distant parts of the body can be harder to remove with surgery, so other treatments, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, or radiation therapy , might be needed. For more on dealing with a recurrence, see Understanding Recurrence.
Can you get a partial cystectomy for bladder cancer?
Lymph nodes near the bladder are often removed as well. If cancer is in only one part of the bladder, a partial cystectomy may be done instead. But this is possible in only a small number of patients . Radical cystectomy may be the only treatment for people who are not well enough to get chemo.

Diagnosis
Treatment
Clinical Trials
Coping and Support
Specialist to consult
Preparing For Your Appointment