Is blue light cystoscopy really useful for bladder cancer?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am 36 years old and have recently been diagnosed and treated for bladder cancer. My doctor is suggesting that we should do follow-up tests for me after I found out that recurrence is always a possibility in this disease.

But when I started doing research on the Internet, I found some websites that mentioned that blue light cystoscopy can detect cancers that might otherwise have been undetected through the usual means. And I am not sure if it would be overkill to ask my doctor about this procedure.

Is blue light cystoscopy really that useful?

Please guide.

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

Absolutely, you may want to discuss blue light cystoscopy with your urologist after you get treated for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.

There are cases when blue light cystoscopy may help detect small tumors or flat lesions, which cannot be detected easily by using traditional white light cystoscopy, such as carcinoma in situ or high-grade lesions. Such procedures may be useful in some patients because they detect tumors and thus can prevent their recurrences.

But not everyone needs this procedure; it really depends on the kind, grade, and risk of recurrence of the tumor you used to have. This procedure may be beneficial only for those patients who suffer from high-grade disease, carcinoma in situ, multiple tumors, or recurrent tumors.

Thus, discussing blue light cystoscopy with your urologist is completely appropriate. The urologist will tell you whether the procedure may change anything about your treatment.

regards

Hope the above information helps you.

Best Regards.