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Dad newly diagnosed- Non-papillary (solid) TCC
Hi All
I am so glad I found this site with so much information on BC. Thanks to you all for contributing.
My father is 67yrs old and has been diagnosed with BC. He went thru the first TURBT on May 5th 2007. One tumor (3cm) was removed and sent to biopsy along with some tissue from the muscle.
The biopsy report came back with the following analysis
1. Solid (Non-papillary) TCC : grade 3
2. Laminal Invasion. No Muscular InvasionWe went for 2 more opinions (doc sent us) for the biopsy and all came back confirming the above. None of the pathologists defined the stage. We live in India and I am not sure if pathologits here do that. Docs are leaning toward T1 stage as this has not invaded the muscle. Is that ok? No metastasis. Lymp nodes are not involved.
We met couple of urologists regarding the treatment options:
1. One doc recommended RC as this is a high grade rumor
2. Two other docs recommended BCG therapy.We have spent lot of time reading about both the options but are unable to choose one.
If any of you went thru T1G3, what route did you prefer?
Appreciate your input.
Thanks
Sree -
9 Replies
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update:
we opted BCG as 3 out of 4 doctors we saw suggested that. My dad had 3 treatments so far and seems to be tolerating well.
The urologist is suggesting a cystoscope after 4 sittings. Shouldn’t this be after completing all the 6 sittings of BCG?
regds
Sree -
Hi, Joe Here, I have Grade 3 T2 n0 m0, I had a tur and i am now just finishing with rads and chemo, tommorow i have a biopsy to see how it worked, hopefuly it did as it was suspose to do, then another 15 rads and 1 chemo, and then checks for years. Im 51 years young, have 3 children and a mortgage, to payLOL, So my advice to you is , you and your dad get a secound opinion, a third if nessesary. Ask the hard questions, dont take any half answers, and go with the doctor that vaules your opinion. And let your dad make the final desision. and suport him in it.
Joebrug55 -
Sree I had chemo done but I found this link which pretty much gives detail answers to some questions you might be looking for about this type of radiation. Joe
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Thanks to you all for your kind responses.
Well, we saw one of the best oncologists in our city today.
He told us to opt for radiation therapy called IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy). Is any one familiar with this kind of therapy? If yes, can you please share your thoughts/experience regarding this.
Thanks
Sree -
I was diagnosed with Ta G3 and CIS and opted for the BCG route with the strict proviso that if it failed then I would go for the cystectomy. In the event I let it fail twice. It’s not a strategy without risks but it did buy me some thinking time (1.5 years) to get my head around my bladder removal. Which, in my opinion, made the whole process more manageable for me. I think the answers above reflect that there is no right or wrong way which is why its such a hard decision for you. I had to make a similar decision under slightly different circumstances and I can appreciate it’s incredibly hard. Once you make it, don’t look back and just focus on the path you have chosen.
Best of luck and best wishes
tim
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Dear Sree,
So glad to meet you here though I am sorry under these circumstances.
I was diagnosed in January 2006 with T1 G3 papillary. I had a re TURB in March 2006 with subsequent biopsy (#3) to determine if there was muscle invasion. I was referred by my good doctor to Dr. Raj Pruthi of the University of North Carolina to determine the possibility of RC. Dr. Pruthi determined that RC was not neccessary in my case, but that BCG treatments should begin for me shortly after my visit to him. I do not know if the non-papillary nature of your father’s tumor would make a difference in prognosis. I want you to know how very glad I was to have the 2nd TURB where residual tumor was found. I have had 12 BCG’s and am through with them (I hope). I have not had a recurrance since I was initially diagonosed in January 2006.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask them and I hope you will keep us updated with progress.
Your friend,
Rosemary
Rosemary
Age – 55
T1 G3 – Tumor free 2 yrs 3 months
Dx January 2006Hi Sree…….my surgeon here in the states at The Cleveland Clinic is from India…he did his residency at All India Inst. of Medical Science in New Delhi and also Dayanand Medical College and Hosp in Punjab India. They seem quite advanced in their medicine. Just thought i’d throw that in for what its worth.
I’m guessing some docs are more conservative than others…my tumor was into the lamina and staged a T2 and the recommendation was to take the bladder out by 4 different doctors here. Pat
I had the same grade and stage. I elected to go with BCG, It did fail then I went to a cancer center in Detroit. I then had a third TURB and then was offered Kemo radiation or interferon /BCg also removal. I did the interferon, On teh turb after this I was clean. I will have my second 3 month check in 2 weeks. It is a little resky but I still have my bladder and his buddy the prostate. I feel very good and my bladder can hold more than it has in 4 years. Don
Hanging in there!
The most recent guidelines for this type of tumor say to have a second TUR a couple/few weeks after the first, and if there is still residual tumor found, cystectomy is wise. If not, BCG can be tried, but if it doesn’t work, then cystectomy is needed to be on the safe side.
Any T1 tumor has already shown that it is of an invasive nature, thus it’s a high risk situation.
It sounds like you are doing a great job of helping your father, he’s in good hands and lucky to have you.
All the best,
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