They have a high-grade tumor (one that is likely to grow and spread quickly) The tumor has invaded the wall of the bladder There are multiple tumors There are large tumors They have what is known as carcinoma in situ, which is an invasive form of the disease confined to the lining of the bladder.

If the cancer recurs, we treat it with chemotherapy or immune therapies. The majority of bladder cancers are superficial, meaning they haven ™t gone beyond the bladder muscle.

Late-stage bladder cancer “ In later-stage bladder cancer, when tumors have spread deeper into the bladder muscle, we use surgery to remove the bladder or a combination of chemotherapy and surgery if the tumor is more extensive. Using chemotherapy before surgery has been found to improve patient survival. (Read more details about late-stage, or invasive, bladder cancer treatment)What are the goals of the bladder cancer SPORE?

The goal of the bladder cancer SPORE is to facilitate innovative translational research (research that moves quickly from the laboratory to the patient) in the prevention, detection and treatment of urothelial cancer, leading eventually to the elimination of this disease.

Specifically, our goals are:

Improving the early diagnosis of bladder cancer Identifying patients with superficial bladder cancer who are at high risk for recurrence and progression Developing effective treatment of superficial bladder cancer that will prevent recurrence and progression and preserve normal bladder function (One area being developed is gene therapy)  Understanding which patients with bladder cancer are likely to respond to a given therapy, so that we can do a better job of selecting the best treatment Studying therapies for the more advanced disease Creating a national advocacy group to educate the public about the disease