Bladder cancer

Overview

Bladder cancer is a type of cancer that begins in your bladder — a balloon-shaped organ in your pelvic area that stores urine.

Bladder cancer treatment often involves surgery. At the earliest stages, surgery may be minimally invasive to remove just the area of bladder cancer, leaving the bladder intact and maintaining the ability to urinate normally. At later stages of bladder cancer, surgery may involve removing the entire bladder and creating a new outlet for urine to leave the body. In some cases, a new bladder can be fashioned from a piece of intestine, allowing you to urinate normally.

The great majority of bladder cancers are diagnosed at an early stage — when bladder cancer is highly treatable. Yet, even when diagnosed at an early stage, bladder cancer is likely to recur. Bladder cancer survivors undergo frequent follow-up tests to look for bladder cancer recurrence.

Why choose Mayo Clinic for bladder cancer

• Expertise. Mayo Clinic is a leader in bladder cancer diagnosis and treatment, including urological research, surgical procedures and other treatments. If invasive cancer requires bladder removal (radical cystectomy), a surgical procedure to construct a new bladder (neobladder) inside the abdomen is an option for many people.
• Experience. Mayo Clinic has one of the largest practices of surgery for bladder cancer in the world. Mayo maintains a vast, state-of-the-art database of surgically treated bladder cancers that allows doctors to learn from and build on their extensive experience.
• Newest technology. Mayo Clinic makes extensive use of the newest technology to improve chances for positive outcomes. Some people may benefit from robotic surgery, an alternative to both conventional open surgery and traditional laparoscopy.
• Comprehensive cancer center. Mayo Clinic Cancer Center meets strict standards for a National Cancer Institute comprehensive cancer center, which recognizes scientific excellence and a multidisciplinary approach to cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., is ranked among the Best Hospitals for cancer by U.S. News & World Report. Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., and Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., are ranked high performing for cancer by U.S. News & World Report.

Mayo Clinic: Answers you can trust

At Mayo Clinic, we assemble a team of specialists who take the time to listen and thoroughly understand your health issues and concerns. We tailor the care you receive to your personal health care needs. You can trust our specialists to collaborate and offer you the best possible outcomes, safety and service.

Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical institution that reinvests all earnings into improving medical practice, research and education. We're constantly involved in innovation and medical research, finding solutions to improve your care and quality of life. Your doctor or someone on your medical team is likely involved in research related to your condition.

Our patients tell us that the quality of their interactions, our attention to detail and the efficiency of their visits mean health care — and trusted answers — like they've never experienced.

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