Deciding on A Treatment for Early-Stage Bladder CancerOne of the most challenging aspects of bladder cancer is deciding on a treatment path when the diagnosis is Stage T1, high grade. This staging means the tumor has grown...
What is Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer?There are several different types of bladder cancer, but the most common type is called urothelial carcinoma...
What I Wish I’d Known Before Being DiagnosedIn January 2017, I began my bladder cancer journey with an official diagnosis: low-grade, low-stageurothelial carcinoma. But in reality, my bladder cancer journey had started months and months before my...
Before, During & After BCG: What to ExpectBacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is an immunotherapy used to treat bladder cancer. BCG treatment is made from a bacterium and is also used as a vaccine for tuberculosis.1,2 It is known...
FDA Approves New Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer TreatmentFor the first time in 20 years, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new treatment for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). The drug pembrolizumab is marketed...
Fighting to Keep My BladderI sometimes wonder if I’m standing alone when it comes to the choice of removing your bladder to avoid any chance of your cancer spreading. I have huge respect for...
The Difference Between Mitomycin and BCGOccasionally, there is some confusion within the bladder cancer community between two common treatments: Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and Mitomycin. They are both intravesical therapies, meaning that they are treatments that...
Making Treatment DecisionsCancer treatment is a buffet of choices. Each one comes with a bounty of pros and cons. When I was diagnosed, my urologist talked to me about grade and staging...