Bladder or the urinary bladder is responsible to collect urine from the kidneys, till it is excreted from the by the urethra. It is located in front of the rectum, in males, and in the females it is placed in front of the uterus and upper vagina. Tobacco smoking is one of the main causes of bladder cancer. Patients suffering from bladder cancer complain of frequent urination, pain during urination or feel the need to urinate frequently. Bladder cancer can be diagnosed through FDG PET scans and biopsy that is obtained during cystoscopy. There are many options of treatment for bladder cancer. Your oncologist will suggest the best treatment options, depending on the stage of the cancer.

Surgery for Bladder Cancer Treatment

There are three different ways in which the surgery is done to cure bladder cancer. It is a preferred option when the cancer is detected in its early stages. These three methods of performing surgery are:

• Transurethral Resection: Transurethral resection or TUR is preferred when the patient is suffering from early-stage bladder cancer. A cytoscope, a lighted surgical tube with a wire looped at one of its ends, is inserted into the bladder through the urethra. After this, an electric current is passed through the tube to destroy the cancerous cells present in the bladder.
• Radical Cystectomy: In this method, the bladder is removed completely along with a part of the urethra and the nearby lymph nodes. Sometimes the surrounding organs (part of vagina, fallopian tubes, ovaries and uterus for women and prostrate, vas deferens and seminal vesicles in men) are also removed, if found containing cancerous cells. When the bladder is removed, the surgeon creates a different way for the body to excrete the urine. This method is called urinary diversion.
• Segmental Cystectomy: Segmental cystectomy is preferred when the cancerous cells are present in only one part of the bladder. Once the exact portion is known, it is removed surgically.

Radiation Therapy for Bladder Cancer Treatment

Radiation therapy to cure bladder cancer can be given internally as well as externally. In case of external radiotherapy, the high energy radiations are passed through a machine, while in case of internal radiotherapy, the affected part of the body is exposed to these radiations through radioactive needles or wires. Radiation therapy is mostly given before surgery, to reduce the size of the cancerous cells. Sometimes it is also given after surgery, to destroy the remaining cancerous cells. Whether to be given before surgery or after surgery depends on the size of the cancerous cells present inside the body of the patient.

Chemotherapy for Bladder Cancer Treatment

Chemotherapy involves the administration of different combinations of drugs to kill the cancerous cells present in the body of the patient. The way in which chemotherapy is administered in the patient’s body depends on the type of bladder cancer the patient is suffering from. In some cases, these drugs are given intravenously, while in some cases these drugs are administered into the urinary bladder through the catheter. Also, these drugs can be injected into the cerebrospinal fluid, abdomen or any other organ for some patients. FOLFOX 4 chemotherapy is one of the regimens used for this cancer. Some of the drugs used for this cancer include: cisplatin, adriamycin and doxorubicin.

BCG Treatment for Bladder Cancer Treatment

BCG or Bacillus Calmette Guerin is a vaccine used to cure tuberculosis. Now-a-days, this vaccine is also given to kill the cancerous cells. This is a surgical procedure, where the BCG vaccine is inserted inside the bladder through the catheter for around two hours to destroy the cancerous cells. This treatment is given in cycles like chemotherapy. The duration of the treatment depends on the way the patient’s body responds to the method. In general, the duration may vary from around 1 ½ months to a year. While undergoing the BCG treatment for cancer, the patient can complain of dizziness, nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and fatigue. Sometimes, vision changes, body aches and joint pains are also experienced by some patients. However, the side effects are lesser than those experienced by patients undergoing treatment with other chemotherapy drugs.

These were a few methods of treatment for bladder cancer. In some cases, the patient might also be given a combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy. This depends on what extent the cancer has spread inside the patient’s bladder.