Bladder Cancer Chemotherapy: An Overview
Bladder cancer chemotherapy uses drugs to kill bladder cancer cells. Bladder cancer chemotherapy may entail one drug or a combination of drugs. For patients with superficial bladder cancer, the doctor may use intravesical chemotherapy after removing the cancer with transurethral resection (TUR).
Intravesical chemotherapy is local therapy, which means that it only affects the treated area. In this type of chemotherapy, the doctor will insert a tube (catheter) through the urethra and put liquid drugs into the bladder through the catheter. The drugs will remain in the bladder for several hours and will mainly affect the cells in the bladder. In most cases, the patient will have this treatment once a week for several weeks, or bladder cancer chemotherapy may continue once or several times a month for up to a year.
If the cancer has deeply invaded the bladder or spread to lymph nodes or other organs, the doctor may administer drugs through a vein. This treatment is called intravenous bladder cancer chemotherapy. Intravenous bladder cancer chemotherapy is systemic therapy, which means that the drugs flow through the bloodstream to nearly every part of the body. The bladder cancer chemotherapy drugs are usually given in cycles so that a recovery period follows every treatment period.
The patient may receive bladder cancer chemotherapy on its own or combined with surgery, radiation therapy, or both. In most cases, chemotherapy is an outpatient treatment given at the hospital, clinic, or at the doctor's office. However, depending on which drugs are given and the patient's general health, the patient may need to stay in the hospital for a short period of time.
