Bladder Cancer Care

Care and Support for Bladder Cancer

The Bladder Cancer Program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) offers advanced diagnosis and treatment of bladder cancer. Our urologists are leaders in the treatment of urologic cancers and are proud to bring the latest effective treatment options right here to Boston. Our bladder cancer doctors offer specialized screening and diagnostic options.

Symptoms of Bladder Cancer

The first sign of bladder cancer is usually blood in the urine. Changes in urination — such as a burning sensation or needing to urinate more frequently — are another reason to check with your doctor. When bladder cancer advances, you may experience these symptoms:

Sometimes bladder cancer can be detected early. When it is, specialists usually are able to treat it quite well. Screening is an important aspect of early detection. However, screening is usually done only for patients who are at high risk for developing bladder cancer. Risk factors include people who have a history of smoking or chemical exposures.

Bladder Cancer Diagnosis

When you see BIDMC's bladder cancer experts, you’ll start with a set of tests to thoroughly identify your condition and develop a treatment plan that works best for you. Your urologist will partner with radiologists and lab technicians to run these tests. Some of these tests include:

• Urine tests: Your care team will test your urine for tumor cells.
• Cystoscopy: Your specialist inserts a hollow tube (called a cystoscope) into your urethra (the tube through which urine leaves the body) and slowly moves it into your bladder. The cystoscope has a lens that allows your specialist to examine the lining of your bladder and urethra.
• Biopsy: Your doctor removes a small amount of tissue and sends it to the lab for close examination
• CT scan: A CT scan creates a 3D image from different angles to provide a clear view of abnormalities inside the body.
• MRI: An MRI uses strong magnets to create detailed images of the inside of the body, including the pelvis area.
• Ultrasound: Ultrasound uses sound waves to create a detailed image of the body’s internal organs.

Personalized Treatment for Bladder Cancer

If your doctor diagnoses the cancer in its early stages, you may have a variety of treatment options. Depending on the stage, you might be able to have a transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT), accompanied by chemotherapy, radiation therapy or immunotherapy. During the TURBT procedure, your surgeon removes tumors from the bladder wall.

If the cancer continues to spread despite treatment, your oncologist may recommend complete or partial bladder removal (cystectomy). If your cancer recurs or spreads, your treatment options will depend on how far your cancer has spread, what treatments you’ve tried and whether you’d like to pursue more treatment. When non-invasive bladder cancer returns, doctors typically recommend you repeat the initial treatment.

If the cancer recurs continuously, your doctor may want to discuss potential bladder removal. Your doctor might refer you to bladder cancer clinical trials to learn about whether you’d be a good candidate to try a new treatment.