Treatment Options – Overview

There are many treatment options for bladder cancer patients, some have long been in use, some are still considered experimental. Each case is unique, and there are many factors to consider before deciding which approach is best for the individual (see also; Staging and Grading) Since the introduction of BCG in the early ‘80’s for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer, along with cisplatin and MVAC regimens for advanced cancer, survival has been prolonged, but unfortunately a cure has remained elusive for many people. Since none of the approaches is offering a guarantee of cure, many other options are being studied to prevent/delay recurrence or progression in both non-muscle-invasive and invasive tumors. The list of new trials, drugs and treatment protocols grows. In the following pages some of these options are discussed, but this list is by no means complete, and hopefully will continue to grow as promising treatments options continue to be found.

More complete explanations of treatment options per stage; the PDQ sheet from the National Cancer Institute

For further resources/information see WebCafe’s pages:
info/resources and clinical trials.