Bladder Cancer Treatment

A healthy bladder allows you to visit the bathroom to relieve yourself comfortably when it’s full. But, if you need to urinate frequently, and it’s painful, it could be a sign that there’s something wrong with your bladder. Chances are it could be cancer.

Bladder cancer is treatable and Bangalore has one of the best multi-specialty hospitals in Fortis Bannerghatta Road to offer optimal treatment solutions for bladder cancer if you should need it.

What is bladder cancer?

Cancer in the bladder is the abnormal growth of the tissues in the bladder wall. When these cells grow and expand they form tumors that can take up the space in the bladder and cause you to visit the bathroom often. But, this is just one sign of cancer.

The other indications can be:

• Frequent urination especially during the night
• Pain or burning sensation during urination
• Trouble urinating or a weak stream
• Blood in the urine
• Changes in bladder habits or symptoms of irritation
• The feeling of bladder fullness even when it isn’t full

Some signs that indicate the tumor has grown larger or has spread to other parts of your body causing other symptoms are:

• Tiredness or weakness
• Lower back pain on one side
• Inability to urinate
• Loss of appetite and weight loss
• Pain in the bones
• Swelling of the feet

Which tests determine it is cancer?

These typical diagnostic tests can help the urologist treating you to pinpoint the cause if it’s indeed cancer:

• A urinalysis to look for blood or other substances in your urine
• An internal examination where your urologist will insert gloved fingers into your vagina or rectum to feel for lumps that could indicate a tumor
• A biopsy involves inserting a thin instrument through your urethra (the tube that connects to the bladder and the spot from where urine flows) to take a tiny bit of bladder tissue to send to the lab for cancer analysis
• A cystoscopy requires inserting a narrow tube with a tiny camera and light at the end of it, through your urethra to see inside your bladder
• X-Rays
• An intravenous pyelogram (IVP) that uses an X-ray and dye substance to take images of your urinary system including the kidneys, urinary tract, and bladder
• A CT scan to get detailed pictures of your bladder

Best Treatment for Bladder Cancer

If spotted in the early stages, bladder cancer is curable.

Like in all treatment protocols for cancers, that of the bladder is planned according to the stage it is in and how much it has grown and spread to other parts of your body.

Time-tested and successful modes of treatment according to each stage of the cancer growth are:

Transurethral Bladder Tumour Resection (TURBT)

This procedure is usually the first mode of treatment for bladder cancer. It is also used to diagnose and determine the stage of cancer’s growth.

During TURBT, you are first given either general or regional (for the lower part of your body) anesthesia. The urosurgeon inserts a thin, rigid instrument called the cystoscope having a loop through your urethra into the bladder. This is used to remove the tumor which is sent to the lab for further testing.

In order to completely destroy any leftover bits of the cancerous cells, the urosurgeon may burn it with a high-energy laser through the cystoscope.

Chemotherapy or Immunotherapy

It is rather interesting to know that TURBT may be able to completely destroy cancer if it has not affected the muscles of your bladder.

Only, your urosurgeon may recommend additional treatments like Intravesical Chemotherapy or Immunotherapy to lower your risk of cancer coming back.

Chemotherapy

Here, the chemo medications are inserted right into your bladder through a catheter. These drugs kill the growing cancer cells.

Immunotherapy

This pathbreaking form of cancer treatment uses your own immune system to attack the cancer cells in your bladder. Urosurgeons at Fortis Hospital Bannerghatta administer a form of immunotherapy called bacillus Calmette-Guérin therapy after surgery for bladder cancer that hasn’t grown into the muscle.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy uses high-energy External Beam Radiation Therapy to kill the cancer cells in the bladder. It focuses the radiation on the cancerous tissues from a source outside of your body and does not hurt or burn.

Each radiation therapy session lasts only for a few minutes. The treatment cycle is usually 5 days a week for several weeks.

Surgery

If your doctor diagnoses that cancer has invaded the muscles of your bladder, the most effective solution is to surgically remove either, a part of the bladder or completely under general anesthesia.

This type of surgery is called a Cystectomy.

Partial cystectomy

This involves removing only a part of the bladder wall which is cancerous. This hole in the bladder wall is then stitched together to allow it to function normally.

Radical cystectomy

This surgical procedure is performed to remove the entire bladder and, possibly, nearby organs and tissues where cancer could have spread to, such as the lymph nodes in the pelvis.

In men with bladder cancer, the prostate and part of the urethra are usually removed too, while in women, the uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, and part of the vagina may be removed.

Robotic cystectomy

This is a revolutionary mode of cancer treatment that has empowered surgeons to use their own skilled acumen along with highly advanced medical technology, with great precision and higher success rates.

Sitting on a control panel, the urosurgeon uses the robotic arms to make several small cuts in your lower abdomen to skillfully remove the bladder and the surrounding tissue.

Robotic cystectomy can also be done physically by the surgeon by making tiny keyhole-sized cuts and using the laparoscope (thin tube with a camera at the end) to remove the bladder.

Bangalore has emerged as the best healthcare destination for effective bladder cancer treatment globally. And Fortis Hospital Bannerghatta stands apart from the rest in the big league of cancer treatment excellence.