How To Treat Bladder Cancer Effectively

Chemotherapy

An individual who has bladder cancer may be treated with methods involving the use of chemotherapy drugs. Chemotherapy for bladder cancer can be performed as intravesical chemotherapy, or as systemic chemotherapy. Chemotherapy may also be used in combination with surgery, before or following the procedure. Chemotherapy drugs work by targeting and destroying any cells in the process of reproduction or cell division. Since cancerous cells multiply rapidly and uncontrollably, chemotherapy can be highly effective to eradicate them from the patient's body. However, this type of treatment not only targets cancerous cells in any stage of the cell division process but healthy cells also undergoing cell division. Systemic chemotherapy or chemotherapy administered to the entire body can be useful in treating cases of bladder cancer that are not eligible for surgical cancer removal. Systemic chemotherapy is also used in cases where the patient has a total bladder removal to ensure all cancerous cells are destroyed. Intravesical chemotherapy works by placing the chemotherapy drugs directly into the bladder with a catheter. This method can be used because the bladder is a hollow organ, allowing for minimal damage to neighboring tissues from the chemotherapy drugs. Intravesical chemotherapy is used in cases where cancer has not spread past the bladder lining but are at an elevated risk of progression or recurrence.

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