Information for patients with bladder cancer
What is the bladder?
The bladder is the sac in which urine from the kidneys is stored until you urinate (pass water).
What is bladder tumour?
Following the tests today a growth (tumour) has been found in your bladder. This is a growth in the lining of the bladder. Most are small and 70% only affect the surface of the bladder.
Doctors and scientists have discovered that certain chemicals in urine may help bladder cancer develop. Some of these chemicals are found in tobacco smoke which is why smoking is known to cause bladder cancer in some people and why, if you smoke, you must seriously try to stop.
Rarely, exposure to toxic chemicals at work may be associated with bladder cancer, so you should inform your doctor if you have worked with any chemicals in the past. Quite often it is impossible to identify any risk factors for bladder cancer. It can be difficult to come to terms with the fact there is no one or nothing to blame.
How is bladder cancer treated?
The growth can normally be easily removed from the bladder through a procedure called cystoscopy. Unlike the flexible cystoscopy you had at the haematuria clinic, this cystoscopy would be performed under a general anaesthetic. You may also hear this procedure referred to as a TURBT (trans urethral resection of bladder tumour). In order to have this procedure (operation) you will need to be admitted to hospital.
After the operation it is quite usual for some bleeding to occur. A tube called a catheter may be inserted into the bladder to drain off the urine and allow the nurses to monitor the bleeding. The catheter is normally removed between 12 and 24 hours. When you are able to pass urine normally, you will be able to go home. The average stay in hospital for this procedure is 2 to 3 days.
Additional Treatment
Some bladder cancers have a tendency to recur often and your consultant might decide that additional treatment is required to try to reduce the frequency that these cancers grow.
This treatment usually means a chemical treatment into the bladder, known as intravesical chemotherapy. Some chemicals have been found to act on the precancerous cells lining the bladder and they destroy them, so preventing cancer from growing.
Some patients need just one treatment and this is performed the day after your TURBT. Sometimes, the treatment will be once a week for a six week period as an outpatient.
Will I need further treatment after the operation?
The tumour removed from your bladder is sent to the laboratory where it will be examined under a microscope. Any further treatment will depend on what the laboratory report shows.
If the report shows that the tumour has been removed (before the growth has spread beyond the surface of the bladder) then all you will require is regular check ups with the Urology Team.
At the first check-up (about 3 months) you will have a cystoscopy, under local anaesthetic, to ensure that the tumour is not growing again. If the bladder is clear, you will be recalled for your next check-up at a longer time interval. It is important to have these regular check-ups as some bladder cancers can re-grow and will need to be removed as before.
Further support
The Mustard Tree, in the Oncology Centre, Level 03, Derriford Hospital can also give you information and advice.
It has been created for people with cancers, their carers and families. You can share your concerns, ask questions and receive support from professional staff or trained volunteers, many of whom have personal experience of cancer.
The Mustard Tree is open daily from 9.30am – 4.30pm so you can drop in at your convenience. You can contact the office on (011752) 763672 or email them at:
mustard.tree@phnt.swest.nhs.uk You can also find information about cancer on several useful websites:
www.cancerbacup.org.uk www.cancerhelp.org.uk www.cancerlink.org www.cancerresearchuk.org 
