Metastatic Bladder Cancer

After removal of the bladder - and the cancer has metastisized (sp?) to the lung and bones - is it always fatal?

[Fernando Roque, MD]

Hi.  Bladder cancer that has metastasized to the lungs and bone is not curable. However,  patients with metastatic bladder cancer still stand to benefit from palliative treatment.  Chemotherapy such as Cisplatin and Gemcitabine combination regimen can increase two year survival rates for these patients to around 20%, from 5% if no treatment was given.

[rubth01]

hello - i am sorry to hear about your husband. I would really appreciate any information about how your husband fist was diagnossed and the history of events that occured there after in regards to treatments, etc... Thanks and God Bless. Tom

[jcampion]

He was diagnosed with bladder cancer about 3 years ago and had his bladder removed.  There didn't appear to be any spread of the cancer outside the bladder.  Two months later they discovered cancer in his uretha and removed that.  Since then, he had had severn clean checkups with no further evidence of cancer.  This past fall, he started having sever back pain.  This was treated with an orthapaedic specialist until March.  In March, he was having so much pain that I took his to the emergency room where they discovered the cancer had metasized to his lungs and spine.  Further, they found two small tumors in his groin area.  We have had radiation therapy for the back pain which has worked well.  He is no on chemotherapy for the cancer, but the doctor has told us it will not prolong his life by more than a few months.