Bladder cancer

My friend's father (82) has been diagnosed with bladder cancer.

It has been treated by having a 'scrape' but he has been told it can't be cured and they will not operate to remove the bladder because of his weak heart.

He has been offered palliative radiotherapy (a single dose) after a month or more of repeated visits to hospital as a result of blocked urethra and passing blood/clots.

My friend is meeting with the urologist this week, and wants to know what all this means for her father's prognosis, but is unsure of the questions to ask.

Can anyone advise/help her?

Many thanks.

  • Hello Mollifer and thank you for posting,

    I am sorry to learn of your friend's father's situation this must be very difficult.

    If your friend would like to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline, she would be welcome to give us a call and we would be happy to talk through what questions she would like to ask. We are available between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday and the freephone number to call is 0808 800 4040.

    Not being involved in her father's care it is difficult to know what questions to suggest. A couple of questions that come to mind might be, what the aim of any treatment is and what possible side effects to expect, how will any future symptoms be managed, and will he be referred to the palliative care team? If she wants to know about the prognosis (how long her dad may live for) she can ask this. However, no one can say with any certainty what a person's outcome may be, but the doctors at the hospital sometimes will give an idea based on their experience.

    I hope this is useful and helps in some way.

    Jemma