Treatment for bladder cancer
Non muscle invasive bladder cancer means the cancer cells are only in the bladder’s inner lining. It’s also called superficial bladder cancer.
Everyone with non muscle invasive bladder cancer has surgery to remove the cancer from their bladder lining. You might have further treatments into your bladder.
The treatment is different to the treatment for muscle invasive bladder cancer, where the cancer has grown into the deeper muscle layer.
Read about treatment for muscle invasive bladder cancer
The main treatments are surgery, chemotherapy into your bladder, or a vaccine called BCG into your bladder.
This surgery is usually the first treatment you have for non muscle invasive bladder cancer.
You might have a course of chemotherapy into your bladder. This is called intravesical chemotherapy.
BCG is a type of immunotherapy drug. For bladder cancer, you have BCG directly into the bladder (intravesical).
You have chemotherapy into your bladder. At the same time, your doctor passes a small electrical current through your bladder.
You have the chemotherapy drug mitomycin C into your bladder. At the same time, a small microwave probe heats up your bladder wall.
A cystectomy is an operation to remove all or part of your bladder. There are different types of operation.
After treatment, you have regular check ups to look for signs of the cancer coming back or spreading. This is called follow up.
Last reviewed: 23 Jun 2025
Next review due: 23 Jun 2028
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