At Mount Sinai, patients can find a highly coordinated multidisciplinary treatment approach for bladder cancer.

Most bladder cancers are superficial. Although recurrence of these tumors may take place in 70 percent of instances, progression occurs in only 15 percent. If recurrence is frequent, if there are multiple tumors, or if the form of superficial disease carries a greater risk for potential recurrence and/or progression, treatment with various medications instilled into the bladder may successfully control the disease, prevent recurrence, and in some instances prevent progression. In each instance, however, continued surveillance with periodic cystoscopy (a direct visual examination of the urinary tract with a cystoscope) every three months and monitoring by urinary cytology (determination of malignant cells in the urine) are needed in order to assure that recurrence has not taken place and that progressive disease is not developing.

Diagnosis

Patients with bladder cancer usually present with some form of blood in the urine (either gross or microscopic). Imaging studies (CT, IVP, ultrasound) are generally performed to assess the entire urothelium (lining of the bladder) for the possibility of malignancy. Cystoscopy is performed to visually examine the bladder. The presence of a bladder tumor then requires resection through the cystoscope (transurethral resection) in order to determine the extent of disease and the possible need for additional treatments. In most instances, transurethral resection (possibly with introduction of medications into the bladder) will cure the cancer, though continued periodic monitoring is needed to watch for recurrence.