Bladder Cancer

Treatment

Mayo Clinic doctors draw on Mayo's extensive cancer treatment resources and experience to provide the best treatment plan for you. Treatment is determined by the type and stage of the cancer, as well as your overall health and treatment preferences. An experienced team of specialists reviews therapy options with you to decide the best treatment for your situation.

Surgery is the primary treatment for bladder cancer and may involve:

• Cancer removal during cystoscopy. For small or early-stage bladder cancer that hasn't penetrated the bladder wall, your doctor may recommend minimally invasive surgery, typically performed during cystoscopy. Surgeons remove the cancer by using closely focused high heat (thermal ablation) or a high-energy laser, or they may simply cut tissue away.
• Partial cystectomy. If the cancer has progressed too far to be easily removed during a cystoscopy, a surgeon may remove both the tumor and a small segment of the bladder in a procedure known as partial cystectomy. To do this, sometimes robotic surgery is performed through a series of small incisions, which can result in less bleeding and pain, as well as quicker recovery.
• Radical cystectomy. More advanced cancer usually requires removing the entire bladder (radical cystectomy). As with partial cystectomy, a surgeon can perform radical cystectomy either by traditional surgery through an abdominal incision or by robotic surgery.
• Bladder reconstruction surgery. Many people who undergo radical cystectomy at Mayo Clinic are good candidates for bladder and urinary tract reconstruction, more commonly referred to as neobladder surgery or neobladder reconstruction surgery.

Other treatments for bladder cancer, which may be used alone or in combination with each other or with surgery, include immunotherapy, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Read more about bladder cancer treatment.