Bladder-Cancer Sparing Treatment

Hi Max,

This is not a new treatment path it has been worked on for years at different centers. It has different agents and protocols but I know that at MA. General Hospital they have been doing it for over ten years plus. I personally went through the clinical trial there for bladder preservation .04-.05, consisting of forty trips to radiation and twenty to chemo. using three different drugs including the one mentioned here, over a nine month period. The first round of chemo. could be called chemo lite it is to help the radiation work. The second was systemic chemo to get any stray cells.
Now the pros and cons. While there are good numbers as far as those that complete the therapy who retain their bladders the question of what the numbers are in the years to come are not as clear. I was one that completed the trial with my bladder intact but lost it less than a year later through repeated recurrence. There are also other issues such as radiation damage to the bladder itself causing inconstancy issues as well as neuropathy from the chemotherapy. Also after radiation most Uro surgeons are very resistant to doing any type of diversion other than an external appliance. So for the ones that do bladder preservation who never see a recurrence and do not have side affects it is a heaven sent. For those it does not, it leaves them with a whole new set of problems that they would not have faced if they had gone directly to RC. The day they can predict who will do well and who not will be a pivotal day in the protocol. The bottom line is that there is no free ride in the bladder cancer game yet.

Chin up and straight forward