Bladder Cancer:Methods of treatment

People with bladder cancer have many treatment options. They may have surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or biological therapy. Some patients get a combination of therapies.

The doctor is the best person to describe treatment choices and discuss the expected results of treatment.

What is the treatment for bladder cancer?

Treatment for bladder cancer

Staging


If bladder cancer is diagnosed, the doctor needs to know the stage, or extent, of the disease to plan the best treatment. Staging is a careful attempt to find out whether the cancer has invaded the bladder wall, whether the disease has spread, and if so, to what parts of the body.

What are the symptoms of bladder cancer?

Common symptoms of bladder cancer include:

Blood in the urine (making the urine slightly rusty to deep red),


Pain during urination, and


Frequent urination, or feeling the need to urinate without results.

What are causes and risk factors for bladder cancer?

No one knows the exact causes of bladder cancer. However, it is clear that this disease is not contagious. No one can "catch" cancer from another person.


People who get bladder cancer are more likely than other people to have certain risk factors. A risk factor is something that increases a person's chance of developing the disease.

What is the bladder?

The bladder is a hollow organ in the lower abdomen. It stores urine, the liquid waste produced by the kidneys. Urine passes from each kidney into the bladder through a tube called a ureter.