Blood in the urine is considered an early symptom and warning sign in tumours of the upper urinary tract and bladder tumours. Painful urination, so-called dysuria, and frequent urination, pollakiuria, are also symptoms.

In order to be able to make a reliable diagnosis, a cystoscopy is performed. If a bladder tumour is still suspected, a transurethral sample is taken, i.e. a sample is taken through the urethra. If necessary, a bladder tumour removal is performed and the removed tissue is examined microscopically by a pathologist.

Depending on the size of the tumour, a so-called resection may be necessary 4-6 weeks after the first operation. In this case, samples are taken again from the marginal areas and the former base of the tumour to ensure that the tumour is completely removed.
You may be advised to undergo local chemotherapy. In this case, a chemotherapeutic agent is filled directly into the bladder via a catheter. This does not cause the dreaded side effects of chemotherapy given through the bloodstream (systemic chemotherapy) and still prevents early recurrence of new bladder tumours.

After a bladder tumour has been diagnosed, regular follow-ups with your urologist are mandatory. There is still bladder mucosa in your bladder that has the potential to develop malignant tumours again.

If the pathologist finds a bladder tumour in the fine tissue examination that has already broken into the bladder muscles (muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma), transurethral treatment can no longer achieve a cure – the entire bladder must be removed with the aim of healing.

In this case, treatment in the form of a modern surgical procedure is preferred: the bladder is removed and continence is maintained by forming a replacement bladder from parts of the colon. This form of therapy can be used for both men and women. In most cases, male potency is preserved in the form of an erection. This procedure is called ileum neobladder.
We also offer surgical procedures with non-continuous urine diversion via an „artificial outlet“, this procedure is called ileum conduit.

If the pathological examinations reveal a tumour that extends beyond the organ, or the presence of lymph node or distant metastases, additional chemotherapeutic treatments can be carried out.