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Newly diagnosed with bladder cancer 5-28-26. Seeking input on options
Diagnosed with bladder cancer 5-28-26. Diagnosis is "Carcinoma of the bladder with the following features: Histologic Grade (WHO/ISUP 2016): High Grade. Invasive into lamina propria. Invasion into lymph nodes or Muscularis propria not identified"
I begin considering treatment options 6-8-26. Obviously need info on lymph nodes & bladder muscle invasion but does anyone have experience with treatment options, outcomes and side effects with this diagnosis? I am a 92 year old male with Parkinson's Disease (17 years) Prostate cancer (2016) & Colon cancer (2019).
I will appreciate your response!
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First off, I'm not a doctor. But reading what you put down it seems like it could be somewhat good news. There seems to be no muscle involvement which is excellent. When I was diagnosed I had two follow up cystoscopies with TURBT. Both came out negative for muscle involvement. I finished six intravesical chemo installations of gemcitabine/docetaxel last Friday as I also had no muscle involvement. The installations are done by catheter which are unpleasant but result in less side effects. I also had prostate cancer in 2023 with a recurrence in 2024. Since your last sentence states, "invasion into lymph nodes or muscularis propria not identified", it sounds like you caught it early. Good luck my friend.
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1 ReactionTo add to what bassmeister wrote, I would suggest you ask your doc to check if BCG will work for you before he sends you down that route. This may be done using the Vesta AI system. If BCG is found to be inappropriate, then the Gem/Doce treatment is as good if not better, with few if any side effects.
Best wishes and good luck.
What is the Gem/Doce treatment?
Suggestion: go to http://www.bcan.org (Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network) and download their Bladder Cancer Basics Handbook, if you don't already have it. I found it quite helpful when I got my diagnosis last year.