What is recurrent bladder cancer?
What is non-muscle invasive bladder cancer recurrence?
What are the causes and risk factors for bladder cancer recurrence?
How do you know if bladder cancer has recurred? How will your healthcare professional monitor for recurrence?
How is recurrent non-muscle invasive bladder cancer treated?
Your bladder cancer has recurred. What can you do and where can you find support?
What are the causes and risk factors for bladder cancer recurrence?
Recurrent bladder cancer sometimes develops from cells that originally came from the primary tumor. If this is the case, the cancer returns after the initial treatment and a period of time when no cancer was detected. This can happen because the treatment did not fully destroy or remove all the cancer cells. Even with surgery, small clusters of cancer cells may have been left behind that were too small to be seen or detected with any test. Sometimes, especially with carcinoma in situ (CIS), an aggressive form of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer that appears as flat, red lesions in the bladder wall, the original tumor may have been completely removed, but it is still possible to experience a recurrence of a new tumor in a different location of the bladder.
The exact cause of bladder cancer recurrence is unknown, but some risk factors include:
- Increased number or new appearance of tumors
- Large tumor size
- Advancing age
- Tobacco use
- Prior recurrence
- More advanced stage or grade
There is no sure and reliable way to prevent bladder cancer recurrence. Talk to your doctor about possible ways to reduce your risk, which can include:
- Stop smoking. Smoking is the number one risk factor for bladder cancer and is associated with many other serious health problems. If you are a smoker, ask your doctor about strategies to help you quit smoking. Support programs and certain medications can also help.
- Know your family history.
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