Bladder cancer
The Royal Marsden offers a full range of bladder cancer diagnosis, treatment and care services for patients at its hospitals in Chelsea, London, and Sutton, Surrey:
| Diagnosis, tests and investigations |
Primary assessment, diagnosis, review and cancer genetics |
| Surgery |
Yes, including surgical removal using minimally invasive technique and reconstructive surgery |
| Chemotherapy |
Yes |
| Radiotherapy |
Yes |
| Other treatment |
Endoscopic (telescopic) and intra-vesical (into the bladder) treatment of superficial cancer |
| Critical care |
Yes |
| Rehabilitation |
Yes |
| Palliative and supportive care |
Yes |
Diagnosis and assessment
If your doctor has arranged for you to come along due to symptoms that need to be looked into, you will normally be seen in the Rapid Diagnostic and Assessment Centre (RDAC) at our Chelsea hospital. Here you will be seen by a doctor who specialises in urology; they will ask you questions about your symptoms and your general health and examine you. A variety of tests are normally needed, many of which can be performed on the same day so it is advisable to allow several hours for your visit in case more than one test is needed.
If your doctor has already arranged tests that have been performed, we will get the results of those tests for you. If you have had tests carried out abroad or independently, it may be helpful to bring any copies of the results with you if they are available to you.
The Royal Marsden has a wide range of state-of-the-art scanners for imaging of the body including; MRI, CT, endoscopy (telescopic), ultrasound and imaging guided biopsy.
Once we have enough information to judge what treatment is needed, you will have an appointment to discuss the options and what is involved.
If you are found to have a condition that is not cancerous but needs further treatment, your care may carry on at one of our partner hospitals with whom we work closely, such as The Chelsea and Westminster Hospital Foundation Trust, also on the Fulham Road in London.
Treatment
We treat all forms of tumours related to the urinary tract, including bladder cancer. The type of treatment we recommend will vary depending on your individual circumstance and needs.
Most types of treatment we offer are listed below, but you may need other forms of treatment or more than one type of treatment:
- endoscopic (telescopic) and intra-vesical (into the bladder) treatment of superficial cancer
- radiotherapy
- surgical removal, either the whole bladder or part of it.
If the bladder is removed, urinary diversions (into a bag on the skin or into the bowel) or bladder replacements (using the bowel) are carried out.
Treatment and follow-up care can take place at either our Chelsea or Sutton hospitals, or at our Medical Daycare Unit at Kingston Hospital. Surgery is carried out at our Chelsea hospital, radiotherapy at both Sutton and Chelsea, and chemotherapy predominately at Sutton as well in Kingston.