Good morning,
After TURBT March 9 and pathology sent to Mayo Clinic for a second opinion, my husband learned last week that he has non-invasive micropapillary bladder cancer. He is 41. Needless to say, this is not the news we wanted. I'm researching and learning some less than wonderful things. But here are my questions I'm hoping to get some help with:
1) What is the general timeline here? Our original urologist is referring us to a highly specialized urological oncologist and we are seeking a second opinion. How long can we expect it to take to get these appointments? If he has a second TURBT or if he needs radical cystectomy, how long will it be until something is scheduled. I know no one controls the timelines, but we cannot understand if this is in the 1-2 month timeline or its more the longer distance.
2) What does it mean to have "highly aggressive" cancer? Again, specifically, what does this mean for our timelines? Is this something that progresses in months not years? Weeks not months? This term confuses me.
3) Is it as rare as I think to have a 41 year old healthy man diagnosed with this form of bladder cancer? We feel very lonely as we keep getting told stories that definitely clearly do not apply to this version of the disease. I keep finding myself saying things like, "well, yes, but it's not clear if that therapy is actually effective for this type of cancer."
Ok, thank you. Sorry for the long message. I'm just getting started on this board and appreciate any time and attention you can give to my questions. I hope to pay it forward some day.
