1. Bladder Cancer Slideshow
2. Prostate Cancer Pictures
3. Cervical Cancer Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

Gary David Steinberg, MD

Medical Author:

Mark H. Katz, MD

Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Bladder cancer has a relatively high recurrence rate. Researchers are trying to discover ways to prevent recurrence. One strategy that has been widely tested is chemoprevention.

• The idea is to use an agent that is safe and has few, if any, side effects but is active in changing the environment of the bladder so another cancer cannot develop so easily there.
• The agents most widely tested as chemopreventives are vitamins and certain relatively safe drugs.
• No agent has yet been shown to work on a large scale in preventing recurrence of bladder cancer.

Another treatment for bladder cancer that is still under study is called photodynamic therapy. This treatment uses a special type of laser light to destroy tumors.

• For a few days before the treatment, you are given a substance that sensitizes tumor cells to this light. The substance is infused into your bloodstream via a vein. It then travels to the bladder and collects in the tumor.
• The light is then aimed at the tumor and destroys tumor cells.
• The advantage of this treatment is that it kills only tumor cells, not surrounding healthy tissues. The disadvantage is that it works only for tumors that have not invaded deeply into the bladder wall or to other organs. This treatment is not readily available in most centers in the United States and is not widely used.

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