Hi,
I'm sorry to hear about your mother's recent diagnosis, you both must be very frightened. I hope she heals quickly from the TUR.
It may well be that surgery is the best option if you are worried about treatments taking a toll on her. The only other popular approach in the US for a muscle invasive tumor is the combination of chemo and radiation, we have a page here:
blcwebcafe.org/combinedmodalities.asp
, and this approach calls for many invasive procedures and months of treatments, and very close follow up. It works in about half the cases, the rest need bladder removal to ensure a good outcome. This approach seems to be more popular with men (just my non-scientific observation).
The other option is radiation alone, which is done in the UK quite often, and other European countries. The US has different ideas and hardly uses it as a first line treatment, unless it's in the palliative setting (with no hope of a cure).
We have a page on radiation as a bladder sparing treatment:
blcwebcafe.org/radiation.asp
The ileal conduit is the shortest type of bladder removal surgery, and a good uro-surgeon can complete it relatively quickly. I know quite a few women who are doing well post-op. The ileal conduit is often recommended for elderly people whose often have co-existing health issues. (Check out the cystectomy pages on the main blcwebcafe.org )
Try not to panic as this surgery could well get your mother years of cancer free survival, when caught early the prognosis of blc is excellent.
I wish you and your mother well. Keep us posted.
Wendy
