We Treat Bladder Cancer With Understanding & Compassion

The bladder is a hollow organ in the lower abdomen. Its primary function is to store urine, the waste that is produced when the kidneys filter blood. Urine passes from the two kidneys into the bladder through two tubes called ureters, and urine leaves the bladder through another tube called the urethra.

The bladder is made up of a muscular wall that allows it to get larger and smaller as urine is stored or emptied. The wall of the bladder is lined with several layers of cells called transitional cells.

Cancer arising from these cells make up more than 90% of all bladder cancers, and these are referred to as transitional cell carcinomas. Because transitional cell carcinomas are the most common type of bladder cancer, the information in this section only addresses treatment of transitional cell cancer of the bladder.

An outpatient procedure called a cystoscopy is usually used to diagnose bladder cancer. The procedure enables the urologist to remove (biopsy) small samples of the abnormal appearing areas of the bladder, and examine them under a microscope. Learn more about the procedures for bladder cancer in the procedures section of the website.

How Bladder Cancer Is Treated

Treatment options depend upon the state of the bladder cancer (Stage 0 to Stage 4). Depending on the patient’s type and stage of bladder cancer, several treatments may be used in combination to increase the chances for a cure. Surgery is the primary bladder cancer treatment. When cancer has spread to the muscle wall of the bladder, a radical cystectomy is the preferred treatment choice.