Hi,
I'm surprised to meet someone so young with TCC but there are more of you out there, I"m sorry to say.
Your diagnosis of superficial, non invasive TCC is a very common one, doctors are almost always able to diagnose this from the way it looks, though biopsies are done to confirm. Removal and no other treatment is more or less standard for a low grade papillary tumor. Because of the physiology of the bladder and its lining the cancer doesn't enter the blood stream or lymph system unless it's an aggressive, invasive sort of tumor. These are also easily diagnosed by the way they look but biopsies are needed to make a definite diagnosis with any cancer.
Do I understand you to be saying the doctor did not remove the visible tumor and do a biopsy and pathology? This would be an unusual move, but not without precedence, as recently updated on the main site:
Update 2006: Two articles support 'watchful waiting instead of automatic removal of low grade superficial bladder tumors:
Expectant treatment of small, recurrent, low-grade, noninvasive tumors of the urinary bladder,.."As long as the tumors are low grade, the risk of invasion or metastasis is zero. Every small papillary tumor does not require removal when observed. Some of these tumors grow very slowly and, with proper reassurance, can be safely monitored. "Mark Soloway; Miami; Urologic Oncology: Seminars and Original Investigations Volume 24, Issue 1 , January-February 2006, Pages 58-61
Watchful Waiting Policy in Recurrent Ta G1 Bladder Tumors - Conclusions: Small, recurrent papillary bladder tumors after resection of low-grade Ta tumor(s) pose minimal risk for the patient. A watchful waiting policy— without resection of the tumor—may be considered in these patients Ofer N. Gofrit, et al.Israel; European Urology Volume 49, Issue 2 , February 2006, Pages 303-307 PubMed
blcwebcafe.org/superficialblca.asp
All the best to you.
Wendy