Hello

  Hello,                                        
      I just found out that my sister in law
  has bladder cancer and it has spread to the
  lympnodes and the vaginal wall area, the
  doctors were going to do surgery on her but
  had to close her back up,after starting it, I
  guess what I would like to know is if
  chemotherapy would cure it? My husband and I
  are just trying to help her deal with it,but
  it is so hard as we cant seem to get any
  answer to many of our questions. She is only
  47 years old and really and out going
  person.Thank you very much. Nita
=====================================================
Dear Nita,
In general when any kind of cancer has grown beyond its confines of the tisssue or organ  where it initially  started, it is often not curable. Some cancers are worse than others. In the case of bladder cancer, it tends to be very difficult to cure, unless the disease is in the earlier stages of its progression. From your descriptions it is obvious that your sister in law had a severely advanced disease, not only in the lymph nodes, but also grown into the adjacent tissues/ organs. This is unfortunately  not curable disease by surgery alone, and the role of chemotherapy is often palliative. This is quite an unfortunate situation, especially since the
patient is as young as she is.  
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 urban campuses by calling  (1 800 653 6568).
Sincerely;
HFHS-M.D. BE
* Keyword: bladder cancer