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I am waiting for my TUR which will be in 1 month. Should I ask for other tests?
I was diagnosed with a small tumor in my bladder. It is scheduled to be removed in 30 days. However should I demand other test be done in the meantime for example imaging tests or cytology tests?
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1 Reply
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There would really be no reason for more tests now. Imaging and cytology are not always definitive and would only indicate that a biopsy (TURB) should be done. In addition, imaging tests, usually CT-urogram, expose you to a lot of radiation and it would be much better to have these AFTER you know what to look for. Cytology tests are notorious for false positives (ie, they may indicate cancer when if really isn’t there) and ALWAYS need confirmation by a biopsy.
Your urologist is doing exactly what he should be doing.I do understand how worried and upset you are. I remember when I received my first diagnosis I thought “now I know what I will die from.” Well, I learned a lot more about bladder cancer and now, almost 10 years to the day of my first diagnosis, I am still cancer-free. Initially both my urologist and my primary care doc suggested that I might have been depressed…YA THINK? I felt, and still do, that I had every right to feel depressed!!!!
Please try to relax (easier to say than do, I know.) But be assured that your urologist seems to be doing everything right. One month is NOT a long time for scheduling a TURB. If you do have cancer it has already been there for years at the microscopic level. You want this done right..
A year or so from now you will be counseling others on how to deal with this.
Sara Anne
Diagnosis 2-08 Small papillary TCC; CIS
BCG; BCG maintenance
Vice-President, American Bladder Cancer Society
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