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Treatments


Most people diagnosed with bladder cancer have superficial and noninvasive tumors. Treatment for these tumors is often very effective with an excellent prognosis. Depending on the diagnosis, bladder cancers can often be managed with a single therapy or combination of treatments, including:

  • Chemotherapy

    The chemotherapy is given to shrink tumors and alleviate symptoms of bladder cancer. It is commonly given with the goal of cure if there is no metastatic disease, meaning cancer has not spread outside the capsule of the bladder. If the disease is metastatic (spread to other areas of the body), chemotherapy is not usually given with the goal of cure, but to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life. These drugs can be given through by mouth or through a vein and come in tablet form.
    If you require intravenous (infusion) chemotherapy, you can receive it at the Comprehensive Treatment Unit (CTU) at Sylvester's main location in Miami. This 12,000-square-foot unit includes 33 recliners and 11 private rooms.
    If you'd like, you can also have your infusion treatments at the Kendall, Plantation, Hollywood, Coral Springs and Deerfield Beach locations.

  • Transurethral Resection

    A thin, lighted tube called a cystoscope ) is inserted into the bladder through the urethraand. A tool with a small wire loop is then used to remove the tumor or the cancerous tissue is burnetumord away with high-energy electricity.

  • Segmental Cystectomy

    The surgeon takes out a small portion of the bladder that contains the cancerous tissue. This procedure is most effective when there is only a single site of cancer cells in the bladder.

  • Radical Cystectomy

    This procedure entails removal of the bladder, lymph nodes near the bladder, and any nearby organs that contain cancer cells. Your doctor may recommend this approach if there are several areas of cancer in the bladder and if there is metastasis (cancer spread) to other sites. In women, removal of the uterus through a hysterectomy is typically performed at the same time because the uterus would otherwise lose its support. Chemotherapy is often given before cystectomy when the bladder cancer is invasive.

  • Neobladder Construction

    In certain patients who are younger without certain chronic conditions, and for whom the chances of recurrence are low, a replacement bladder is made from intestinal tissue. Instead of creating an opening to divert urine to the skin, the surgeon puts replaces the cancerous bladder with the new bladder and connects it to the urethra. This technique is available for both men and women, allowing them to achieve near-normal continence.

  • External Beam Radiation Therapy

    Advanced technology tools working for you include RapidArc®, an advanced technology used with a linear accelerator to deliver intensity modulated external radiation therapy (IMRT). This shortens treatment times to one-half to one-eighth that of conventional radiation therapy, resulting in better tumor targeting, allowing higher doses to the tumor and less damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

  • Internal Radiation Therapy

    Both internal and external radiation, or one or the other, may be used in bladder cancer treatment. With internal radiation, a radiation implant in the bladder offers direct impact on cancer cells. External radiation, however, utilizes a machine outside the body to direct rays at a broader area.

  • Biological or Immunotherapy

    This treatment relies on the patient's immune system to fight cancer. The patient is treated with an intravesical biologic therapy called BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) after the cancer is scraped out. BCG is in a solution placed directly into the bladder with a catheter, for a short period, and repeated through a series of treatments. In non-invasive bladder cancer, this biologic approach is usually a single remedy.