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Which treatment path to choose? Wait & monitor vs chemo or BCG?
I just had my first tumor removed. Non invasive low grade. Intermediate risk. My doctor wanted to play it safe and scrapped the muscle wall to make sure he got everything. No cancer was found in the muscle wall but going that extra layer stopped him from using the one time chemo. Now I have to make a choice. Wait and monitor, or in about 4 more weeks I will be healed enough for BCG or chemo. Turning 52 and other than I am a healthy person. I feel people who have experienced this are my best resource. What would you do?
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Have had 2 scraping outs 2 cystoscopy and both BCG and gem/cit chemo for 6 weeks each. My cancer was biopsied as non invasive but high risk. BCG did not work for me after my first scraping so had the second scraping and then chemo. Just had a scope this week and Dr saw some suspicious areas so have to go in for another scraping/biopsy. It appears the chemo might not have worked for me either. I found BCG to be tolerated easiest, the chem a bit more upsetting to the system. I would want another
cystocsopy in 4 weeks to see.
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1 Reaction@hotrod58, treatment decisions are so hard to make. To help make your decision, I might recommend asking more questions of your team like:
- Given my age and health status, what are the pros and cons of each treatment options for me?
- What are the risks of cancer returning if I choose to watch and wait?
- What treatment side effects are expected with chemo or BCG?
Hotrod, will you have another consultation with the cancer team to discuss your next steps? Have you considered a second opinion?