skip to Main Content
BCC_Discussion-Forum-Page-Header-new

IMPORTANT: The Bladder Cancer Canada discussion forum is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment. The opinions & contents in this forum is for information only and is not reviewed by medical professionals. They are experiences & opinions of patient members like you, and is NOT intended to represent the best or only approach to a situation. Always consult your physician and do not rely solely on the information in this site when making decisions about your health.

Homepage – Forum Forums Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer How do you decide what route to take?

Viewing 3 posts - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #31874
    Traceysparkes2018
    Participant

    I have been diagnosed with bladder cancer and undifferentiated cancer. I have been given the option of having chemo for 6 weeks then surgery in August to remove the bladder or I can skip the chemo and go straight to the surgery on Thursday.  I have no idea what to do. If anyone has been in my shoes before please let me know your story.

    #31879
    SJay
    Participant

    Hi Tracey

    I was diagnosed with NMIBC in 2015 but after BCG failure was the found it had dedifferentiated into an aggressive sarcomatoid carcinoma and had spread to the outside edge of the bladder. I was advised to have chemo before surgery as it gives a bit of a bump to survival rates. I was 64 and in very good physical shape..

    I had 4 rounds of chemo over 3 months and then 5 weeks later had my RC with a neobladder. The pathology report found no sign of cancer in any of the tissues including lymph nodes and margins, so it worked pretty well for me. Chemo was Cisplatin and Gemcitabine. I didn’t have any serious side effects. Some tiredness, my hair got thinner and I actually gained weight from the anti-nausea drugs. It’s a bit hard on the kidneys, apparently.

    If I were you I would discuss survival rates and chemo side effects with your doctor. The problem is, you don’t know how it will affect you personally, you just get to know the overall statistics. In the end it seems to be what you are most comfortable with. I wanted my best chance at long term survival.

    Hope all works out well for you.

    Stephen

    #31969
    GerryW
    Keymaster

    I had exactly the same chemo treatment as Stephen.  No side effects except 3-4 days constipation brought on by the Emend anti-nausea med that I waa prescribed on the heavy dose days and one treatment was delayed because of a low white blood cell count. In my case the chemo was expected to give about a 5% improvement in results. I am now three years post RC.

    Wishing you all the best in your journey.

    Kingston and the 1000 Islands

Viewing 3 posts - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Back To Top