Can chemotherapy and surgery help manage urothelial cancer?

Question

Hello doctor,

My 58-year-old neighbor was just told he has urothelial cancer, and he is completely shaken. He had blood in his urine for a while but ignored it, thinking it was just an infection. Now, the doctor says there is a tumor in his bladder, and they need to do more tests to see if it has spread.

His kidney function tests were slightly abnormal, and his creatinine was 1.8. He also had diabetes for ten years; could that have made it worse? He is terrified of chemotherapy and surgery.

What are the chances that it is already spread?

Can this type of cancer be cured completely?

The doctor mentioned something about a cystoscopy. Does it hurt?

He has never had a major health issue before, and now he is panicking about everything. What should he expect in the next few weeks?

Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

His diabetes may have indirectly contributed to his cancer. Chronic inflammation and high blood sugar increase cancer risk. Diabetic kidney disease could explain his elevated creatinine (1.8), which may affect treatment.

If chemotherapy is needed, kidney function must be closely monitored, as some chemotherapy drugs can affect the kidneys. His oncologist must be aware of his medical history.

Bladder cancer has stages:

Early stage: Stays in the bladder lining, highly treatable.
Muscle invasive stage: Grows into the bladder muscle, treatable but more aggressive.
Metastatic stage: It spreads to other organs, is harder to treat, and is not curable but treatable to extend life.

Since he had blood in his urine, the tumor may have grown deeper, but only scans and a biopsy will confirm if it has spread. If caught early, there’s a good chance for control or cure.

A cystoscopy uses a small camera to look at the tumor. Local anesthesia will prevent pain, but there may be some discomfort. It takes five to ten minutes with no major recovery.

For deeper tumors, a TURBT may be done under anesthesia to remove tissue for biopsy and staging.

He may need tests like:

Computed tomography(CT), Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or positron emission tomography or computed tomography (PET) scans to check for spread.
Biopsy or transurethral resection of bladder tumor(TURBT) to confirm cancer type and stage.

His treatment plan may include surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or radiation, based on type and stage.

I hope this information is helpful.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need to know anything else; I would be happy to answer.

Thank you.