The majority of tumours in the bladder look like small mushrooms and only affect the lining of the bladder. These can usually be removed very easily using a cystoscope. The tumour is simply snipped off at the stem and the area is cauterised using a mild electrical current to prevent excessive bleeding. In this way, several tumours can be treated at the same time.

If the tumour has spread to the bladder wall, it may be possible to remove the tumour together with just the affected part of the bladder. The remainder of the bladder can then be stitched to the top of the urethra. This is called a partial cystectomy.

Sometimes, the tumour may be too large to be removed by the cystoscope, or may have started to grow through the bladder wall. In these cases, it may be necessary to partially or completely remove the bladder. This operation is called a cystectomy and fortunately is seldom needed.

Radiotherapy treats cancer by using high energy rays which destroy the cancer cells, while doing as little harm as possible to normal cells.

It can be given before or after surgery to treat any cancer cells in the pelvis that may not have been removed by the operation.

It may also be given as an alternative to surgery which might then only be necessary if a recurrence of the cancer is found later on. Your doctor will discuss these options of treatment with you.

It may be helpful to some patients with bladder cancer, especially if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

The drugs work by disrupting the growth of cancer cells. They can be given directly into the bladder or can be given intravenously (by injection into a vein).

The drugs may be put directly into the bladder via the urethra, after the mushroom-like tumours have been snipped off, to decrease the chances of the tumours recurring.

When chemotherapy is given into the bladder, it has few side effects as very little gets into the bloodstream and affects the rest of the body.

If the cancer has spread beyond the bladder to other parts of the body the chemotherapy drugs are given intravenously, so that they can circulate in the bloodstream and can reach the cancer cells all over the body.

A course of several drugs is given over a few days with this type of chemotherapy. The course is then repeated every few weeks for several months.