2nd opinion

It sounds to me that you have been cured! Surveillance and keeping positive are the keys to your continued success! My best to you! Laurie

Hi Sara ANNE,
Oh geeze, how did I goof up your name I don't know! I'm glad you got a kick out of it and gave you a blast from the past. So you were very lucky that your first series of 6 BCG washes resulted in ridding the CIS, and that the subsequent maintenance BCGs have served you well! Congratulations to that and surely we all hope it stays away forevermore! Do you go for checks every 6 months or once per year? Laurie & Phil

Hello Sara Jane,
Thank you for your reply and encouragement. It was interesting to read that the census of the forum is 50/50. We have read that it is a debate even among urologists as we have experienced that with 2 Cleveland Clinic urologists. We are hoping that if someone on the forum has been in this situation of having BCGs beyond the normal 2 rounds, resulting in repeated biopsy reports showing all negative results, and yet the urology oncologist does not recommend continued surveillance but highly recommends RC. While statistics show that 30-60% of people with CIS will have a recurrence, what if one falls into the percentile that it does not recur? You would never know that if you opt for RC. The risk, however, is if the CIS does return, will it come back with a vengeance and be invasive? My husband's CIS is currently non-invasive. That is our dilemma and we are hoping someone on the forum can share if they personally had this situation and if they opted to continue with surveillance and won the battle for years and years to come. Ok, I'm a perpetual optimist, but only to a point. I want my husband to be around even if he must spare his bladder and learn to live with the chosen diversion. Thank you for listening. Laurie & Phil