Some people may have side effects such as frequent urination, or even incontinence (loss of control of urination).
In patients with a long history of recurrent, non-invasive low-grade tumors, the surgeon may sometimes just use fulguration to burn small tumors that are seen during cystoscopy (rather than removing them).
It is important that any type of cystectomy be done by a surgeon with experience in treating bladder cancer.
If the surgery is not done well, the cancer is more likely to come back.
This type of surgery may result in less pain and quicker recovery because of the smaller incisions.
But it hasn’t been around as long as the standard type of surgery, so it’s not yet clear if it is equally as effective.
You can usually return home the same day or the next day and can resume your usual activities within a week or two.
Radical cystectomy: If the cancer is larger or is in more than one part of the bladder, a radical cystectomy will be needed.
This surgery is done using an instrument put up the urethra, so it doesn’t require cutting into the abdomen.
You will get either general anesthesia (where you are asleep) or regional anesthesia (where the lower part of your body is numbed).
For this operation, a type of rigid cystoscope called a resectoscope is placed into the bladder through the urethra.
The resectoscope has a wire loop at its end to remove any abnormal tissues or tumors.