OT - anyone with experience with bladder cancer?

[bejuce]

My father called me yesterday to let me know his bladder cancer has recurred. He's beaten it twice, in 1994 and 2001, and both times he caught it early and was able to treat it with local therapy.

Now unfortunately his case is more serious and advanced. He's doing a biopsy tomorrow to confirm staging and so on, but the ultrasound showed an infiltrating mass that has already invaded the fat/muscle outside of the bladder.

He told me that the doctors advised him to do a complete cystectomy (full bladder removal) with a neo-bladder reconstruction (bladder routed out of the small intestine). I'm very distressed about this news, especially since my father is almost 74 and lives back home in Brazil.

If anyone of you has direct experience with a surgery of this type, I'd love to hear from you. I don't know if he'll need to do chemo after the surgery (or even before) but he hasn't even seen an oncologist yet. In any case, any help/suggestions/tip on going through the surgery will be very much appreciated.

Thanks!!

[Elizabethtx]

Wish I had wonderful advice....I am just sorry your father has had a reoccurrence. I do have a family member who has been successfully treated for bladder cancer, but did not have the complete removal. My prayers and thoughts will be with you!

[NanaJoni]

We have a friend who had this surgery and reconstruction at Cleveland Clinic almost 8 years ago. She is doing great now. So sorry this has happened to your family but there is much hope for a successful treatment.

[Sheila]

My Dad is a 22 year bladder cancer survivor...one of the lucky ones that the cancer was encapsulated like an egg, removed surgically, then chemo was injected directly into the bladder for about 1 year. TWO years ago, my uncle was diagnosed. His was much more advanced, had his bladder removed and reconstructed , went through several chemo treatments, but now is doing very well. He was treated at a large hospital in Indianapolis. THey have come a long way in the treatment of even advanced bladder cancer. Keeping your Dad in my prayers.

[tricia keegan]

I'm sorry about your Dads recurrance, my friend and her husband both had bladder cancer but it was found very early so have no personal advice to give you but hope for a sucessful surgery and quick recovery.

[sassy]

My father also had bladder cancer just last summer. His was caught early and has been successfully treated. He has an excellent doctor at the University of Tennessee Medical center, where they also do the removal and reconstruction surgery.

[bejuce]

Thanks, ladies for all your support!!! My father has his biopsy yesterday and is now recovering fine at home. If anyone of you would happen to know the chemo drugs used
to treat the more advanced cases, please let me know. I'm trying to gather
as much info as I can at this point.

Thanks!!

Marcia

[Sheila]

Bejuce...I will make a few calls today and get some answers on the chemo used.

[Jackie07]

Bejuice,

Here's a recent article that summarizes the treatment of bladder cancer:

Curr Oncol. (javascript:AL_get(this, 'jour', 'Curr Oncol.');) 2011 Jan;18(1):e25-e34.
First- and second-line therapy for metastatic urothelial carcinoma of the bladder.

Yafi FA (http://her2support.org/pubmed?term=%22Yafi%20FA%22%5BAuthor%5D), North S (http://her2support.org/pubmed?term=%22North%20S%22%5BAuthor%5D), Kassouf W (http://her2support.org/pubmed?term=%22Kassouf%20W%22%5BAuthor%5D).
Department of Surgery (Urology), McGill University, Montreal, QC.
Abstract

Urothelial cancer of the bladder is the 4th most common malignancy in American men and the 9th most common in women. Although it is a chemosensitive disease, advanced bladder cancer seems to have reached a plateau with regard to median survival of patients. Standard first-line therapy remains gemcitabine plus cisplatin (gc) or methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (mvac). In patients deemed unfit to receive cisplatin, gemcitabine plus carboplatin or gemcitabine plus paclitaxel can be considered. To date, no standard therapy has been established for patients who recur or are refractory to first-line therapy. Second-line vinflunine, by way of superiority over best supportive care, has shown promise in a phase iii trial. Cisplatin-based therapy (mvac or gc) can also be offered to patients previously treated with cisplatin, especially if they responded previously and are considered platinum-sensitive. Novel targeted therapies are sorely needed to further improve the delivery and efficacy of chemotherapy.

[Jean]

Bejuice,
Sorry to hear the news of your Dad. I have a friend whose husband was dx. with bladder cancer and he had the surgery and he is doing great. Sheila's post is very encouraging and as she said there has been great strides in this type of cancer. I send you prayers for strength and hugs of support.

Jean

[Sheila]

Marcia
Just got ahold of my uncle. After the bladder was successfully removed and he healed, he was given Gemzar and Carboplatin 3 weeks on and one off...his scans have been clean ever since....amazing for advanced bladder cancer! Hoping your Dad does amazing too! Keeping him in my thoughts and prayers!

[bejuce]

Thank you so much, Sheila!!! It means the world to me to have all this support here!