Bladder Cancer

Treatment

Mayo Clinic's experienced professionals treat more than 1,000 bladder cancer patients annually. Our physicians routinely draw on Mayo's vast cancer treatment resources and experience in formulating personalized bladder cancer treatment plans.

Effective bladder cancer treatment is shaped by many factors, including the type and developmental stage of the cancer, as well as your health and treatment preferences.

Surgery

Surgery is the primary treatment for bladder cancer. Mayo Clinic's surgical capabilities for bladder cancer are exceptional

Based on a patient's medical need, bladder cancer surgery may include:

• Removing cancer from the bladder wall via cystoscope
• Removing the cancer and a portion of the bladder (partial cystectomy)
• Removing the entire bladder (radical cystectomy)

Patients undergoing radical cystectomy may also be candidates for bladder-urinary tract reconstruction surgery.

Read more about Mayo's extensive surgical capabilities for bladder cancer.

Immunotherapy

Patients with early stage bladder cancer may opt for immunotherapy treatment rather than surgery. Immunotherapy involves injecting fluid into the bladder through a catheter. Most commonly, a bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) solution is injected, consisting of weakened bacteria that stimulate your immune system to kill cancer. BCG injections are sometimes used in conjunction with interferon therapy; interferons are natural proteins the immune system cells produce to combat illness and disease.

Chemotherapy

Your doctor may recommend chemotherapy prior to and following surgery to ensure the cancer is destroyed. Intravesical (within the bladder) chemotherapy is administered after cystectomy or other bladder cancer treatment, or as a treatment course similar to BCG immunotherapy. Alternatively, for patients with metastatic bladder cancer (cancer that has spread beyond the bladder), doctors may suggest systemic chemotherapy as an exclusive treatment option in lieu of surgery. Doctors may opt for systemic chemotherapy in conjunction with radiation following partial cystectomy.

Radiation Therapy

In radiation therapy, doctors use high-dose radiation to destroy cancer cells. Your doctor may also use radiation in conjunction with chemotherapy, or in place of surgery. A combination of radiation therapy and chemotherapy following limited bladder surgery may also be appropriate in select cases. An experienced team of medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and urologists review your possible therapy options with you to define a treatment approach that serves your needs.