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I have created a flow chart for bladder cancer patients.  It can pretty much be used at any time from initial concern about the potential of having bladder cancer through various stages of treatment.

 My hope is that people will find this useful.  Rather than posting it everywhere and having to try to maintain version control on a number of sites, I am putting the link to ABLCS forum where I originally posted it.

I am not a doctor but I do have a good bit of experience as a bladder cancer patient.  This guide has been reviewed by a number of other bladder cancer survivors as well.

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Hello everyone - My mom who's 48 yrs. old was diagnosed with Urinary Bladder Cancer last Friday. We found out that the tumors have invaded the bladder wall and was told by our urologist that my mom's bladder will have to be removed. Since then she has been referred by our Urologist to another Urologist in UCLA who specializes in performing Neobladder surgery. After speaking with this specialist, my mother was give 2 options: 1) to perform chemo and radiation therapy, since the tumors were all contained in the bladder, and try to shrink the tumors to a size where it's possible to be removed.

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Hello, my name is Charlotte I am 38 and have two children 12 and 8 years old. I used to worry about my husband getting lung cancer since both his father and grandfather died at an early age from it. We both quite smoking cigarets 11 years ago. He still has an occasional cigar.

March 15, 2008 saw blood in my urine and made an appointment with doctor for next day. For the next month they treated me for UTI and Kidney stones.

April 16, 2008 now having dark red urine. Had a complete physical and was told I was healthy and was told to hang in there the stone would soon pass. I demanded to

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[quote]My husband was diagnosed in Feburary after having found a large amount of blood in his urine.  He went to the emergency room in our small town.  They didn't even examine him, just took a urine sample and said it was a urinary tract infection.  Went to the urologist the following Tue. Had a CT scan.  He has had a cyctoscopy and was at T2, grade 3 according to pathology report.  Doctor wanted him to have a partial cyctectomy.  Had this done March 10.  Went back on March 20 to get catheder out.  Doctor told him cancer is now thru the bladder.  Staged at T3, grade 3.  Told him he didn't

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TURB 7/07/04 high grade stage 1, second TURB 11/03/04 high grade T1
Radical Cystectomy (12/27/04 ) high grade T3aN0Mx

In early 2004 I experienced pain and blood upon urination while visiting Hawaii. Upon my return to the mainland I visited my local Uroligist who performed a Cystocophy and announced that I had bladder cancer. On 7/07/04 I was scheduled for an outpatient Transuretheral Resection and Biopsy (TURB) and was informed there was a possibility I would be hospitalized. Due
to the tumor being over 5 cm and surrounding the ureter from my right kidney a stint was necessary and constant

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squamous cell carcinoma stage T3b with fatty layer invaded no lymph node involvement.

My father is 73 he was diagnosed in March 2003. He did opt for chemo and radiation after the conduit was done. He has had ups and downs but for now he does feel pretty good. He has adjusted to his new lifestyle and does the same things he has always done. My mother died 2 years ago from colon cancer , so he lives alone. My fear is that squamous cell is much more rare, only 8% of the population will develop this cancer type. I would love to have survivors of squamous cell with invasive muscle involvement to

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Invasive TCC, T3bN+, RC 10/02/01

My cancer was discovered during a scheduled out-patient procedure on 8/17/01 to install a stent because of a kidney blockage. (I had experienced a few UTI's during the 2 yrs. prior to the procedure.) The pathology was G3T1, but urolgoist said the pathology might not be accurate and that he recommended a radical cystectomy and provided a list of surgeons capable of performing this procedure. After two separate opinions, I opted for my surgery to be performed at the University Medical Center in Tucson and I now have a continent urinary reservoir (neobladder).

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TCC in situ, extensive.
T3a, N2, M1


History: When my Mom, Mary, was diagnosed with TCC, she was 57 years old, in good health, had never smoked or suffered exposure to dyes or chemicals, but had an "over active" bladder with increasing incontinence since 1993.

Procedure: Radical Cystectomy with diversion to an ileal loop on 2/12/99. 8 day hospital stay.

Pathology: "poorly differentiated TCC of bladder, high grade, with lymphovascular invasion; invasive through bladder wall to cervix, uterus, and endometrium; extension to uterine and cervical serosa; right and left ovaries and left

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