Your doctor may recommend a number of tests for bladder cancer before, during and after
treatment of your disease. In general, tests for bladder cancer are performed for the
same reasons as cancers in general:-
Before treatment
- Find out if patients have cancer (make a diagnosis)
- Assess the extent of disease
- Assess damage to other organs
- Assess function of organs and fitness for treatment
During treatment
- Assess whether treatment is working
- To investigate new symptoms
- Assess function of organs and fitness to continue treatment
After treatment
- To assess whether the disease remains in remission
- To investigate new symptom
If a patient presents with blood in the urine a tumour is suspected. Some
of the following tests for bladder cancer will be recommended:
-
Internal exam: The doctor may need to insert gloved fingers into the vagina and/or rectum to feel for
lumps.
-
Urinalysis: Looking for blood, infection and malignant cells (Cytology)
-
CT (Computed tomography) or MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging) scan: Both
detailed images able to look at slices
through your body - effectively in three dimensions. A dye is often
injected into a vein first along with a special drink to improve the quality
of the images. The scans aim to show the tumour and the extent of its spread.
- Intravenous
pyelogram (IVP) or ultrasound: A series of x-rays of the kidneys, ureters,
and bladder to find out if cancer is present in these organs or if there are any
blockages.
- Flexible cystoscopy: A procedure to look inside the bladder and urethra to check for
abnormal area - a biopsy cannot be taken with this scope therefore if an
abnormal area is seen a rigid cystoscopy is performed. This requires a
general anaesthetic and allows local resection of tissue to be taken for
examination by the pathologist (biopsy).
Further general information Your doctors and specialist nurses are in
an ideal position to give you relevant information on your disease and treatment
as they know your individual circumstances. Cancerbackup
has a help line (0808 800 1234) and a prize winning video
available in English, Italian, Urdu, Bengali,
Gujarati & Hindi explaining Radiotherapy & Chemotherapy. Cancernet.co.uk
has over 500 pages describing cancer, its management, practical tips and tool
which patients, their carers and their doctors have found helpful during the
cancer journey.
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