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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffBladder cancer often recurs. Because of this, bladder cancer survivors often undergo follow-up testing for years after successful treatment. What tests you'll undergo and how often will depend on your type of bladder cancer and your treatment, among other factors.
What types of tests are used to screen for bladder cancer recurrence?
Tests and procedures commonly used to screen for recurrent bladder cancer include:
- Looking for abnormal growths in your bladder. Cystoscopy is a common screening test for bladder cancer recurrence.
- Looking for cancer cells in your urine. Your doctor may recommend urine cytology testing every few months for the first few years after cancer treatment.
- Taking random samples of bladder tissue. If you have a high risk of bladder cancer recurrence, your doctor may recommend that samples of your bladder tissue be analyzed periodically. This may help doctors diagnose a bladder cancer recurrence before it can be seen with cystoscopy.
How often should you undergo screening for bladder cancer recurrence?
Ask your doctor to create a follow-up plan for you. In general, doctors recommend cystoscopy screening every three months for the first two years after bladder cancer treatment. For the next two years, you may undergo cystoscopy every six months. Then you may undergo cystoscopy every year. Your doctor may recommend other tests at various intervals as well.
People with aggressive cancers may undergo more frequent screening. Those with less aggressive cancers may undergo screening tests less often.
How can you prevent a bladder cancer recurrence?
Doctors don't yet know a reliable way to prevent bladder cancer recurrence. Talk to your doctor about ways to reduce your risk, such as:
- Stopping smoking. Ask your doctor about strategies to help you quit smoking. Support programs and medications can help.
- Increasing your intake of antioxidant vitamins. Some studies suggest that large amounts of certain vitamins may reduce the risk of recurrent bladder cancer in some people. But not enough study has been done to recommend taking big doses of antioxidants in pill form. In fact, large doses of vitamin supplements could be harmful. A safe way to increase your antioxidant intake is to increase fruits and vegetables in your diet. Talk to your doctor about other ways to get more vitamins.
- Joining a clinical trial. Consider joining a clinical trial that's studying a new way of preventing bladder cancer recurrence. These studies can't guarantee that you won't have a bladder cancer recurrence. But joining a clinical trial may help doctors discover ways to reduce the risk of bladder cancer recurrence for people in the future.
