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Questions posted in the
The Urology Forum have been answered by urologists from Henry Ford Health System and by Dr. Kevin Pho.
Question Title: how long is bladder cancer present??Forum: The Urology Forum
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my father was diagnosed with grade III bladder cancer and had a radical cystectomy and a neobladder was constructed using the lining of his bowel which now functions like a normal bladder with reasonable retention and only a little incontinence. Can someone please tell me how long bladder cancer takes to get to the lowest grade to the worst grade? thanks
All cancers that are diagnosed undergo staging and grading by a physician. The stage of a tumor/cancer relates to how far it has spread (localized to one or more layers in the involved organ? spread beyond the affected organ? spread to the regional lymph nodes? metastasis to a distant organ such as the lung, brain, liver, etc. ?). The grade of a tumor/cancer relates to the cells of the cancer itself. It is a pathological diagnosis/finding, and essentially indicates how abnormal the cancer cells are in comparison to normal cells of the same organ type (Grade I through IV with lower grade being closer to normal and higher grade being more abnormal). Therefore, in the case of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder, the grade relates to how abnormal the cells appear in the tumor after the bladder cancer is removed. In your father’s case, I do not know the whole story, but the decision to perform a cystectomy is usually based on stage (how deep the cancer is in the bladder wall) and not grade. However, if repeated conservative therapy of low stage bladder cancer fails, some urologists will perform a cystectomy. The answer to your specific question regarding grade progression is unknown, because the progression from one grade to another is extremely variable and different from case to case. Hope this answers your question and wish you the best. This information is provided for general medical education purposes only. Please consult your physician for diagnostic and treatment options pertaining to your specific medical condition. More individualized care is available at the Henry Ford Hospital and its suburban locations (1 800 653 6568). Sincerely,
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