Cytoreductive surgery means removing tumors and tissues nearby.
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In metastatic bladder cancer, this often involves removing the main tumor in your bladder, says Yerram. But cytoreductive surgery can also include removing the bladder and areas to which the cancer has spread, also known as metastasectomy. A cancer care team removes these metastatic cancers either by radiation therapy or surgery.
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“[This surgery] is typically considered for patients who have responded well to systemic chemotherapy,” says Yerram. To take out tumors from the bladder, surgeons can use a procedure called a transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT). A surgeon performs this by inserting instruments through the urethra without incisions in the skin.
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For tumors in other parts of the body, you may need a different type of surgery. For example, if you have tumors in the lining around your abdominal organs, your surgeon would need to make a long cut across the middle of the abdomen to take out the tumors and surrounding tissue.
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The removal of your bladder tumor can help you live longer and make other treatments like chemotherapy more effective, says Yerram. “Surgery [also] allows for a direct examination of the tumor tissue, providing a more accurate assessment of how well chemotherapy has worked compared to imaging alone.”
Even after a TURBT procedure, your cancer may return, and people often need to undergo the procedure again in the future. If you need several TURBT surgeries, scarring on your bladder can make it hard to hold urine for long periods, potentially leading to a need to pass urine more often or urinary incontinence.
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After surgery that involves incisions, complications can include the following:
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BleedingWound infectionBlood clotsRare reactions to anesthesia
But once your procedure is over, your care team will tell you what side effects to watch for and what to expect as you recover.