Patient Toolkit
Tips From Patients, For Patients

Get more information about what it’s like to experience different procedures and treatments for bladder cancer, from a bladder cancer patient perspective.  These tips include things other patients wished they had known before starting a procedure, suggestions for coping after a procedure, and questions a patient might want to ask the doctor.  These two-page pdfs can be printed or read online.  We hope these patient tips are helpful!

Cystoscopy - The gold standard for diagnosing bladder cancer. A long thin tube is inserted through the urethra, allowing the urologist to look into the bladder. The urologist may also take samples of tissue or urine from the bladder.

TURBT (Transurethral Resection of a Bladder Tumor) - After a bladder tumor is diagnosed, the urologist may perform a TURBT to remove the tumor.

BCG - This includes intravesical immunotherapy (BCG) that is instilled in the bladder to try to prevent recurrences of tumors.

Radical Cystectomy - If a bladder tumor invades the muscle wall or if tumors still persist after intravesical therapy, the urologist may suggest a radical cystectomy to remove the bladder.

Ileal Conduit - After radical cystectomy, the surgeon creates a new way for urine to leave the body. An ileal conduit is one of the most common types of reconstruction, where a small stoma is created and a plastic ostomy bag is placed over the stoma to collect the urine.

Continent Cutaneous Pouch (Indiana Pouch) - Another type of urinary reconstruction involves creating an internal storage container, which the patient drains through a small stoma (opening).

Neobladder - The other type of urinary reconstruction involves creating a new internal storage container that is connected to the urethra.