Is bladder cancer prone to recurrence?

When we say someone is "cured" of a disease, we mean that the disease is completely gone and will not come back. When we say someone is cured of cancer, we generally mean that after a certain period of time, there is no evidence of the cancer coming back.

Bladder cancer is completely curable for most patients. Low-grade, superficial bladder cancer is, in a sense, curable when the tumor has been completely removed. Unfortunately, bladder cancer is prone to recurrence. Even though the tumor has been completely removed, new tumors may grow in the same or new locations. Therefore, regular follow-up examinations are required after surgery. Most recurring tumors that are found early are still curable. Shen Yijun, Department of Urology, Fudan University Cancer Hospital Cure is also possible for patients whose tumors have invaded the bladder muscle layer. Surgeons can completely remove the tumor by removing part or all of the bladder, and if you can completely remove the tumor, you can also say that you are cured. Surgery can cure 80% of bladder cancers that are confined to the bladder. Unfortunately, we cannot know whether the tumor has been completely removed. The surgeon does not know whether cancer cells have left the bladder under the microscope. In patients who are suspected of this, such as tumors appearing at the edge of the removed tissue, further chemotherapy and radiotherapy after surgery can improve the chances of curing the tiny tumor lesions that remain in the body. Patients with locally advanced bladder cancer have only a small chance of cure with surgery alone. Regular follow-up with a urologist after surgery is important to ensure that the tumor has not recurred.
Finally, even if the tumor has metastasized, the patient may be cured. Combination therapy of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy can currently cure a small number of such patients, and the cure rate is increasing. Most patients are sensitive to chemotherapy in the early stages of treatment. But for such patients, it is difficult to say when they are cured. Follow-up with X-rays, CT, cystoscopy, and urine cytology is still important in the few years after treatment.