Chemotherapy for Bladder Cancer in NYC

Chemotherapy for bladder cancer is administered via 3 different settings.

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[col type=”three-fourth last”]Chemotherapy for bladder cancer can be administered to patients with non-muscle invasive or superficial bladder cancer to prevent bladder cancer recurrence and progression. In the USA, the most common chemotherapeutic medication administered is mitomycin-C, Thiotepa, Epirubicin, Valrubicin and Doxorubicin. In Europe other medications are used which have similar efficacy to mitomycin-C. In addition immunotherapy medications can be used intravesically to decrease bladder cancer recurrence and progression. These medications include BCG and interferon alpha.[/col]

Typically cisplatin-based chemotherapy is administered to patients in neoadjuvant settings and in patents with metastatic disease.

Chemotherapy for bladder cancer can also be administered to patients with muscle invasive or high risk bladder cancer who was scheduled for radical cystectomy. This is called neoadjuvant chemotherapy, which is administered prior to surgery to decrease the risk of cancer recurrence. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy treats microscopic metastatic disease and improves survival in patients with bladder cancer.

Chemotherapy can also be combined with radiation therapy as the treatment of choice for some men and women in what we call ‘bladder sparing approach’ to treatment.

The third setting where chemotherapy for bladder cancer is administered is in patients with metastatic bladder cancer for which radical cystectomy is not indicated. In this setting chemotherapy is the definitive treatment for patients with metastatic bladder cancer.

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