Bladder Cancer Health Center
Bladder Cancer - Medications
Medicines may be used to control the growth of bladder cancer cells and to relieve symptoms. These medicines may be taken by mouth, injected into a vein (intravenous, or IV), or delivered directly into the bladder using a catheter.
- Chemotherapy uses medicines to destroy cancer cells.
- Immunotherapy , also called biological therapy, uses medicines that cause your body's immune system to attack cancer cells in your bladder. It is most often used for early-stage bladder cancer. It may also be used after a transurethral resection (TUR) to help keep cancer from coming back.
Most chemotherapy causes some side effects. Home treatment may be all that is needed to manage your symptoms. But some people may need medicines to control nausea and vomiting.
Understanding Bladder Cancer -- Diagnosis and Treatment
To diagnose bladder cancer, your doctor completes a thorough medical history and exam, and then he or she will probably send you to a urologist, a surgeon who has special training in managing diseases of the bladder. The first test he or she will probably perform is an intravenous pyelogram (IVP) followed by a cystoscopy. During a cystoscopy, the bladder can be viewed through a fiber-optic lighted tube known as a cystoscope. The urologist will pass the cystoscope through the urethra into the bladder...
Read the Understanding Bladder Cancer -- Diagnosis and Treatment article > >
Medication choices
Chemotherapy medicines
- Gemcitabine and cisplatin.
- MVAC, a combination of methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin.
- Mitomycin. This medicine may be used to help keep cancer from coming back.
Immunotherapy medicines
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
