Symptoms like blood in your urine, pelvic pain when urinating, frequent urination, and persistent fever are linked to bladder cancer. If you’ve been diagnosed with this rare form of cancer, your oncologist can provide professional advice on the next steps in your treatment.
The doctor can coordinate your team of cancer care professionals and schedule follow-up exams and treatments. Here’s more information about what you can do after the diagnosis:
1. Understand the Diagnosis
Your doctor has the responsibility to disclose the nature of your bladder cancer in a post-diagnosis consultation. The doctor’s report identifies the type, stage, and grade of the cancer, which can be transitional cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, or squamous cell carcinoma.
Cancer stages are determined after additional tests like MRIs, PET scans, CT scans, bone scans, and chest X-rays. These tests check if the cancer has spread to your lymph nodes, bones, and organs.
Grading is determined by observing the cancer under a microscope. Cancer cells can be low-grade, meaning they have an appearance and organization similar to normal cells. Low-grade cancer is less likely to invade the bladder’s muscular wall.
The cancer can also be high-grade, which refers to abnormal, aggressive cells with a higher likelihood of spreading to other body parts. Understanding the cancer allows your oncologist to develop a customized treatment plan.
2. Prepare for Treatment
Treating cancer requires a multidisciplinary team that is made up of your oncologist, urologist, and other specialists. Your oncologist will discuss various treatment options, including surgeries like transurethral resection of bladder tumor or cystectomy.
Depending on the severity of you cancer, surgeons may remove the tumor, part of the bladder, or the entire bladder. Your oncologist can also recommend intravesical therapies like chemotherapy and radiation to shrink the tumor and kill cancer cells. Immunotherapy introduces medications like checkpoint inhibitors to help your immune system fight the cancer.
Cancer treatment usually involves lifestyle adjustments like quitting smoking, eating healthy, and exercising regularly. Your oncologist provides professional advice regarding sexual health and fertility issues like egg freezing and sperm banking.
Other discussions involve financial planning, payment assistance programs, and counseling for psychological and emotional support. Your cancer care team and oncologist coordinate the treatments and evaluations, providing advice on how to prepare for each phase.
3. Manage the Condition
Cancer of the bladder is treatable if it’s caught in the early stages. The condition also requires ongoing monitoring and care to prevent recurrence. Advanced stages that cannot be treated are managed to minimize symptoms and extend life.
Your care team is tasked with helping you through recovery and providing advanced planning based on the prognosis. Since cancer can develop again, schedule regular follow-up appointments for scans, cystoscopies, and other examinations.
Oncologists discuss the potential side effects of each treatment and provide solutions for managing them. If you experience any symptoms or discomfort after treatment, coordinate with your medical team and oncologist for prompt resolution.
Eating a healthy diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes may help improve overall health and reduce discomfort during treatment. Eat skinless fish and poultry, low-fat dairy products, and high-fiber foods to avoid digestive issues.
Exercising often helps you manage stress and get enough sleep to promote wellness and recovery. You can connect with other cancer survivors and experts for further support and lifestyle adjustment tips.
4. Start Treating Bladder Cancer Today
Treating cancer is possible if you take proactive steps to get an early diagnosis. Many people with early stages of cancer recover fully after treatment and use active monitoring to help prevent recurrence. Contact a urologist today to learn more about bladder cancer diagnosis, treatment, and care.
