Your bladder is the small organ that stores your urine. Bladder cancer occurs when malignant cancer cells begin to grow and spread within the lining of the bladder wall. Symptoms of bladder cancer may include painful urination, blood in your urine and abdominal and back pain. Once bladder cancer is diagnosed, your physician helps you plan the most effective treatment, which is based on the stage of your cancer and your overall health.
Surgery
Depending on the stage of your bladder cancer, surgery may be an option. Your surgeon may remove just the tumor itself or the tumor and a small portion of your bladder. The National Cancer Institute explains that, in advanced cases, surgery to remove the bladder is recommended. A radical cystectomy is an operation to remove the entire bladder, as well as surrounding lymph nodes, reports the Mayo Clinic. The lymph nodes are dissected following surgery to hep determine if your cancer has spread beyond the bladder.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of medications to kill cancer cells and to keep them from dividing and spreading. In some cases, chemotherapy may be used prior to surgery to shrink an existing tumor. Chemotherapy is given intravenously or in pill form. According to the Mayo Clinic, chemotherapy can also be administered directly to your bladder by passing a tube through your urethra (intravesical therapy). Chemotherapy is sometimes given in conjunction with radiation therapy.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or to keep them from growing, reports the National Cancer Institute. Radiation may be given externally (external beam radiation), via a machine outside of your body, or internally, through the use of surgically implanted radioactive seeds, wires or catheters in your bladder (brachytherapy).
