I am trying something different in this post. In this post, I have taken excerpts from different web pages giving the site link at the end of the of the small excerpt if you wish to read more. These people can write better than I so why try and reinvent the wheel. The credit goes to the original authors.
Treatment for bladder cancer varies greatly depending on the stage of disease at the time of diagnosis. At Memorial Sloan-Kettering, a team of surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, and pathologists — all of whom specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of bladder and other genitourinary cancers (prostate, testis, kidney, and related organs) — work together to make recommendations about how each patient’s bladder cancer should be treated. 1
Patients who have had one bladder cancer that has been successfully treated are at risk for developing a new cancer in the lining of their kidneys, ureters, urethra, or at another location in their bladder. Researchers are currently studying some vitamins, such as vitamin C and vitamin A-like drugs, and drugs such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as celecoxib (Celebrex) that may be useful in preventing these new cancers from developing. 2
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved 2 new urine tumor marker tests for finding recurrent bladder cancer after treatment. One test, BTA, looks for proteins in the urine that indicate the presence of recurrent cancer cells. The other test, NMP22, measures the level of a protein from the nucleus of the bladder cancer cells. Other new markers are being tested. These are called HA-HAase, CYFRA 21-1. Also an antibody to whole cells called Immunocyt is being tested. 3
The researchers, led by Dr Anne Kiltie based at the Cancer Research UK Clinical Centre, part of the Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine at the University of Leeds, analysed the medical records of 169 patients treated for invasive bladder cancer between 1996 and 2000. of the patients had been treated with radiotherapy, while 89 had undergone surgery. 4
Cleveland Clinic is one of the largest centers for bladder cancer in the United States . The treatment team, which consists of the urologist, pathologist, and oncologist, sees hundreds of patients with bladder cancer annually. In addition to performing diagnostic and clinical services, Cleveland Clinic also is a major center for innovative research on bladder cancer is the site of new cancer clinical trials to treat local and advanced disease. 5
Due to a lack of early detection and treatment options, pancreatic cancer is deadly. In fact, a vast majority of patients with pancreatic cancer die because the disease has spread so far that it can no longer be removed. However, a small percentage of pancreatic cancers are caught early enough for a curative surgery to allow removal of the tumor, which may result in improved survival. 6
Surgical removal of the bladder (called a cystectomy) is the most common treatment for invasive bladder cancer — cancer that has spread into or beyond the muscle layer of the bladder wall. Surgery provides the best chance for a long-term cure in most patients with invasive disease that is confined to the pelvis. 7
The FDA has recently approved a test that uses a process called fluorescence in situ hybridization assay (FISH) to screen patients for recurrent bladder cancer. This test, which measures abnormalities in several chromosomes frequently found in transitional cell bladder cancers, was more accurate than urine cytology and at least equivalent to the BTA test in a recently reported study. The FISH assay causes abnormal cells to glow (fluoresce) if they contain the abnormal changes in the chromosome. 8
The Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia University Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital encompasses pre-clinical and clinical research, treatment, prevention and education efforts in cancer. The Cancer Center was initially funded by the NCI in 1972 and became an National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center in 1979. The designation recognizes the Center’s collaborative environment and expertise in harnessing translational research to bridge scientific discovery to clinical delivery, with the ultimate goal of successfully introducing novel diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive approaches to cancer. For more information, visit www.hiccc.columbia.edu. 9
A three-year study to validate a test to detect the recurrence of bladder cancer has been initiated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), at 13* centers across the United States and Canada. The test - which examines genetic changes in DNA obtained through urine samples - if successfully validated, will provide a sensitive and non-invasive method of screening for bladder cancer recurrence. This is the first study study testing a marker for bladder cancer, and the first Phase III study for an Early Detection Research Network- EDRN-created test. 10
The advantage of PDT is that it can kill cancer cells with very little harm to normal cells. One drawback is that the chemical must be activated by light, so only cancers near the surface of the bladder, which can be reached by shining a special light through the cystoscope, can be treated in this way. This light cannot reach cancers that have spread deeper into the bladder wall or to other organs. 11
Currently, cystectomy surgery is regarded as the ‘gold standard’ treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer in the UK. Doctors typically opt to remove the whole bladder along with the prostate in men and, in some cases, the womb and ovaries in women. 12
Valrubicin was approved in 1998 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for intravesical chemotherapy in patients with bladder carcinoma in situ (stage 0is), who did not respond to BCG treatment and who are not surgical candidates for cystectomy. A recent study found that heating the inside of the bladder with microwaves, may increase the effectiveness of intravesical chemotherapy. 13
When bladder cancer is suspected, cystoscopy is the most common diagnostic test. In addition to enabling the physician to see inside the bladder to determine if tumors are present, cystoscopy allows tissue samples to be taken for a biopsy. Another common test is urine cytology, which examines urine under a microscope for abnormal cells. 14
A single immediate postoperative instillation of chemotherapy decreases the risk of recurrence in patients with stage Ta T1 bladder cancer: a meta-analysis of published results of randomized clinical trials. Jun;171(6 Pt 1):2186-90, quiz 2435. 15
Posted on June 19th, 2008 by Neil
Filed under: Bladder Cancer - Background, My Cancer
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