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