I'm 82 years old and newly discovered bladder cancer. Thoughts??

I hope you will at
Least consult with a good doctor that will tell you your options and how each option is likely to go. They get new treatments for things all the time and some of them are less difficult to live with than they used to be. To me, 82 does not sound that old and I hope there are a lot of things you are still enjoying in life.

namvet1965,
I wouldn't. Do you have more information about your cancer?

Hello @namvet1965 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I am glad that you found this forum. Determining the best option for dealing with cancer can be confusing and often frustrating.

You do not mention the type of bladder cancer nor if it has been staged. As you provide some more information, it will be easier to connect you with others on this forum who can share with you. In the meantime, here are some posts where members have mentioned bladder cancer,
--Small Cell Carcinoma Bladder
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/small-cell-carcinoma-bladder-sccb/
Have your doctors suggested a treatment plan, @namvet1965? What symptoms are the most difficult for you?

I am 82 & currently taking oral Temozolomide orally for liver NET. I only have to take it 1 week of each month and it isn’t fun, but a scan coming up in June will tell me if it is working. I definitely understand your question & I often ask myself if quality of life or quantity is the answer. When I was diagnosed in December 2022, I didn’t want chemo & finding a NET specialist was helpful in keeping chemo off the table till now. It is like @nrocpop said there are new treatments discovered every day. Bless you as you navigate these decisions!

I am also 82 and was diagnosed with kidney cancer a little over a year ago at age 81; I opted out of surgery because of my age. I recently began Keytruda infusions, having had 3 out of a planned 18. Because of the fact that I am suffering with daily blood and clots another oncologist has scheduled me to begin radiotherapy of the lesion tomorrow with a total of five treatments over 10 days in order to hopefully stop the loss of blood which has made me anemic the first time in my life. Oncologist wants me to have iron infusion, but I feel bleeding must first be controlled.

You already have received good advice from Teresa, @hopeful33250. As usual, she asked the most trenchant questions: What kind of cancer? Has it been staged (categorized from low risk to high risk)? Have your doctors launched a treatment plan? What symptoms have you told them about?

Fifteen years ago, when I was 74 years old, my urologist did a cystoscope examination of my prostate gland and followed that up with TURP surgery to remove excess prostate tissue from my bladder. Removing the tissue allowed the cystoscope to illuminate a tumor on the internal lining of my bladder, so it was removed and "staged" by a pathologist. Cancerous, but not high risk, because it was located on the surface of the lining and had not grown down into bladder muscle tissue or beyond. The finding, though, prompted another cystoscope exam which this time identified a dozen or more of similar small tumors, and my urologist performed special surgery to remove them. These tumors proved to be a higher risk genetically, but as with the earlier single tumor, all of them were "epithelial" -- only on the surface of the lining of my bladder, not in any other tissue in my body. In annual exams over the last 15 years, we have found no further evidence of cancer in my urinary system. To be fully revealing, I contracted cancer in my digestive tract last year and had it removed surgically, but my oncologist found no cancer cells in 20 lymph glands or any other tissues throughout my body.

Note that a whole team of specialists took an interest in my case over 15 years. They bored into all the possibilities for eliminating the cancer -- and succeeded. From my first interaction with them 15 years ago through annual exams and, finally after detecting cancer again last year, I was blessed to have all the information I needed to understand 1) my crises, 2) my treatment options, 3) what surgical procedures would work, 4) what after-effects to expect, 5) my prospects for a cure, and 6) how to deal with any setback. None of that information would have been available or reliable from my study of the literature. Nor could I expect that my friends and associates here on Connect could give me answers -- although I could have gone crazy without the assurances I received from members of Connect who had similar experiences to share with you and me -- and give us confidence in the patient-driven medical care that is classically Mayo. Martin

Hello @namvet1965. I can understand your question. I have been treated for head and neck cancer for 12 years since age 58, and my husband has had bladder cancer since 2019 at the age of 67. Many of his treatments were quite tolerable, but his tumors have been quite aggressive and resulted in removal of his bladder in 2022. There have been many complications but receiving his care at Mayo Clinic Rochester has provided a team of specialists to deal with any problems.
Once you know more about your particular tumor and it is staged then you can make a more informed decision. There are many treatments available with minimal to moderate side effects that could control your cancer for many years. A second and third opinion from different doctors can lead to further options. Don't make any decisions until you know more about your disease. Are you being seen locally or is there a cancer center nearby for a second opinion?

My 84-year old father in law was diagnosed w/ urothelial carcinoma, which usually manifests itself in/near the bladder, but took root in one of his kidneys. Despite other frail health (heart, dementia), he had the kidney removed with clean margins. He's been on adjuvant immunotherapy since then and doing well.

Whether you choose to fight it or play out is entirely your choice, but there are a lot of good thoughts and considerations above to base your decision on.

Wishing you the best!

BTW, if you served a Camp Lejeune during a certain time period, there may be government funds available to help you. That was my father-in-law's case from his time in the USMC.

Dear Teresa,
Thank you for offering your knowledge and connections on my bladder cancer that has been recently diagnosed by a clinic in Los Angeles. The bladder cancer was discovered when my primary care doctor ordered a renal ultrasound to see if my fairly high blood pressure could be improved by placing a stent in the renal arteries. The ultrasound detected a 3.7cm bladder mass. I really had no idea that I had a cancerous growth. There has been no indicators except frequent urination………no noticeable bleeding or discomfort.
In my first visit to Urology (post diagnosis) , I had the cystoscopy and a bladder wash. I have not gotten any feedback on that procedure. I fully expected that a urologist would explain what they have found so far and what plan they have to treat it. I am disappointed that I was not offered a consultation on anything that they discovered. The urologist assigned to my case only informed me that they will schedule a TURBT in the near future. I see now that it has been booked for this coming July and I am not at all certain that I want to proceed with it until I have a better understanding of what I may have to go through down the road. I would like to know if an MRI or other imaging procedures can tell me the stage or grade of my cancer before I agree to a TURBT. I want to know what all my options are before proceeding.
Considering my advanced age, there is a limit to what I would want to go through.
Thanks for helping me,
Lance

@namvet1965
Hello Lance,

Your concern about a more thorough consultation before receiving any more tests or treatments is understandable. It certainly is your right to have as much information as you can before deciding on how to proceed.

I would suggest that you seek a second opinion. If you live near one of Mayo Clinic's three locations, this would be a great place for a consultation. Here is information on how to obtain an appointment at any Mayo location, http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63. If an appointment at Mayo is not available, a university medical school or another research-oriented facility would also be a good place to find a second opinion. You might also consider contacting the American Cancer Society, here is a link to their website where they have a cancer hotline, https://www.cancer.org/support-programs-and-services.htm) where you might find a referral for a specialist in your area.

Have you considered getting a second opinion?