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Hi,

I'm so sorry to hear about what you've been going through. I'm glad you posted, because perhaps another vet with similar problems will find you here.

You said you had Mitomcyin after the first TUR, and also that someone thought you might have contracted TB from that; this is a misunderstanding as Mitomycin carries no risk of TB. BCG immunotherapy is a form of the TB virus and used for non-invasive bladder cancer, at least 6 treatments to start off, so that can't be a reason ('cuz you haven't had it). Infectious Disease specialists might help if the problem is BCG infection but I don't see how one could help in your case (unless I missed something and you did indeed have BCG). In any case, there are existing treament protocols for BCG infections, which are very rare.

Mito can (also very rarely) cause allergic reactions, I wonder if this could be a cause.
If it were from parasites, it's a very separate sort of bladder cancer than the usual, and perhaps US doctors aren't familiar with this one. The most info about treatments for it would come out of Egypt where it's the #1 cause of bladder cancer.

Do you know what pathology the cells of the original tumor was? Parasites cause squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder, while 95% of bladder cancer is transitional cell cancer (TCC). Cell type makes a big difference in treatment approaches.

If you like, contact me privately:
mailto:wendy@blcwebcafe.org

Wishing you all the best,
Wendy
PS, I sent out your question to WebCafe's physician adviser Dr. Mark Schoenberg, head of uro-oncology from Johns Hopkins had this to say:
"On the face of it, this sounds like a rare but well known complication of mitomycin therapy, namely bladder epithelium calcification. Managing this will depend on extent of the problen which can only be evaluated by direct exam. He can come to hopkins for a visit if he wants to."

I'll let you know if I get any more answers.

Good luck to you.

I am retired USAF. I am 49 years old and had bladder cancer just over a year ago.
I had thoughts of what would the treatment be like if I was going to the Military Medical Facilities instead of Civilian Hospitals and Doctors.

I know that there are very good hospitals that support the military personnel. Are you still in the Military? If not, what percent of Disability did you get with your existing condition?

If you are still in the military, contact your commander and let him know that the doctors that you have been seeing have not determined the extent of the problems in the bladder. Let him know that there are Doctors in places like John Hopkins (as Wendy provided), that may be able to determine the problem and the treatment. Ask the commander for guidance on who can help you with exploring the options that civilians have.

As far as knowing what caused your Cancer, good luck. I went through all the exposures that I had while in the Military with my Doctor. The doctor agreed that most would have caused some health risks, but none were identified contributors to Bladder Cancer. I have been in contact with several of my peers that I served with during that same time period. I am the only one (that we know of) that had bladder cancer (out of about three-hundred peers). If the statistics show that several young troops that served in Iraq get Bladder Cancer, I am sure that investigations will be done to determine the cause.

Take Care

Rick

listen to wendy. she's correct in my opinion. im 69 yrs old , had bladder cancer for 5 years. ok so far. needless to say,forget military hospitals. go to johns hopkins or sloan kettering in ny. this is your life your talking about. you deserve the best care. this cancer is very treatable. good luck.