Treatment Options by Stage
A link to a list of current clinical trials is included for each treatment section. For some types or stages of cancer, there may not be any trials listed. Check with your doctor for clinical trials that are not listed here but may be right for you.
Stage 0 (Papillary Carcinoma and Carcinoma in Situ)
Understanding Bladder Cancer -- Diagnosis and Treatment
To diagnose bladder cancer, your doctor completes a thorough medical history and examination, often following with a referral to a urologist, a doctor who specializes in managing diseases of the bladder. The first test the urologist may 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. A urine sample...
Read the Understanding Bladder Cancer -- Diagnosis and Treatment article > >
Treatment of stage 0 may include the following:
- Transurethral resection with fulguration.
- Transurethral resection with fulguration followed by intravesicalbiologic therapy or chemotherapy.
- Segmental cystectomy.
- Radical cystectomy.
- A clinical trial of photodynamic therapy.
- A clinical trial of biologic therapy.
- A clinical trial of chemoprevention therapy given after treatment so the condition will not recur (come back).
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with stage 0 bladder cancer. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Stage I Bladder Cancer
Treatment of stage I bladder cancer may include the following:
- Transurethral resection with fulguration.
- Transurethral resection with fulguration followed by intravesicalbiologic therapy or chemotherapy.
- Segmental or radical cystectomy.
- Radiation implants with or without external radiation therapy.
- A clinical trial of chemoprevention therapy given after treatment to stop cancer from recurring (coming back).
- A clinical trial of intravesical therapy.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with stage I bladder cancer. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Stage II Bladder Cancer
Treatment of stage II bladder cancer may include the following:
- Radical cystectomy with or without surgery to remove pelviclymph nodes.
- Combination chemotherapy followed by radical cystectomy.
- External radiation therapy combined with chemotherapy.
- Radiationimplants before or after external radiation therapy.
- Transurethral resection with fulguration.
- Segmental cystectomy.
Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with stage II bladder cancer. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Stage III Bladder Cancer
Treatment of stage III bladder cancer may include the following:
- Radical cystectomy with or without surgery to remove pelviclymph nodes.
- Combination chemotherapy followed by radical cystectomy.
- External radiation therapy combined with chemotherapy.
- External radiation therapy with radiation implants.
- Segmental cystectomy.
WebMD Public Information from the National Cancer Institute
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