Bladder Cancer Treatment in India – Uncontrolled proliferation of normal cells lining the bladder wall can lead to cancer.50 per cent of patients can be cured with appropriate treatment

Bladder cancer is a type of malignancy arising from the epithelial lining (i.e., the urothelium) of the urinary bladder. The urinary bladder is a hollow sac like organ situated in the pelvis. Its major function is to store the urine produced by the kidneys before finally emptying it. Uncontrolled proliferation of normal cells lining the bladder wall can lead to cancer.

Risk factors

Though the exact cause of bladder cancer is unknown, there are certain well recognized risk factors. Smoking is one of the most important risk factors, and smokers have twice the risk of developing bladder cancer than non-smokers. People exposed to certain chemicals like aromatic amines. which are especially used in dyeing, rubber, leather and textile industries are also at increased risk if proper precautions are not taken. Chronic irritation of the bladder wall due to any cause can also lead to bladder cancer.

Symptoms

Some of the common symptoms of bladder cancer are haematuria and recurrent urinary tract infection. However, it is important to realize that most of the early cancers may be totally asymptomatic. A patient with these symptoms should consult his doctor if the symptoms persist for more than two weeks.

The purpose of doing these tests is to find out the stage of the cancer as the prognosis and treatment depends upon the stage. Broadly speaking, there are four stages depending upon how deep the cancer has penetrated into the bladder wall, and whether it has spread into other structures outside the bladder like lymph nodes, bone, liver etc.

Treatment of Bladder Cancer at World Class Cancer Hospital in India

There are three main modalities of treatment – surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, either alone or in combination. In very early bladder cancers limited to the superficial layer of the bladder wall, immunological therapy is used where the patient comes in for multiple sessions of a drug being instilled into the bladder.

Surgery is one of the most widely used treatments. In most of the locally advanced tumours, the surgery is called radical cystectomy where the entire bladder and some adjoining structures are also removed. This operation requires some form of urinary diversion for the urine to come out through a new pathway. In certain less advanced tumours, a partial cystectomy may be sufficient where only a part of the bladder will be removed.

Radiotherapy alone or in combination with chemotherapy is an alternative to surgery where the patient wants to conserve his bladder. Radiotherapy is the use of high energy X-rays which are focused on the area to be treated without affecting the tolerance of surrounding normal structures.

Today, there are a number of sophisticated treatment techniques like IMRT, IGRT etc. To achieve this aim using state of art linear accelerators.

Chemotherapy is the use of medicines given intravenously and is called systemic treatment as it can kill cancer cells anywhere in the body.

Appropriate treatment in a good multidisciplinary hospital can result in curing more than 50 per cent of patients. If the cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, the results are much better.

The TNM (Tumour, Nodes, Metastasis) staging system categorizes bladder cancer using the following scale:

• Stage 0 – Non-invasive tumours that are only in the bladder lining
• Stage I – Tumour goes through the bladder lining, but does not reach the muscle layer of the bladder
• Stage II – Tumour goes into the muscle layer of the bladder
• Stage III– Tumour goes past the muscle layer into tissue surrounding the bladder
• Stage IV – Tumour has spread to neighbouring lymph nodes or to distant sites (metastatic disease)

At SafeMedTrip – Bladder Cancer Treatment from Best Hospitals in India, we understand how overwhelming it is to get treated away from home. Keeping your apprehensions in mind, we make sure to assist you at every step.

So, no matter how complex is the surgery, we will help you choose a doctor considering your requirement, budget and availability.

Since our inception in 2010, we have helped many patients lead a normal and quality life. We assist you in choosing the best hospital in India, seeking an appointment with a qualified and experienced cancer specialist, explore your options, assist in a medical tourist visa, besides offering other services such as airport transfers, appoint an interpreter (if need be), etc.

If you have any further queries or in case you need any assistance, speak to the Case Manager or log on to our website at www.safemedtrip.com