Survival depends on several factors such as the patient’s individual condition, type of cancer, treatment and level of fitness. Predictions of survival period is impossible. A five year survival rate is however seen as a norm. This means that people who have bladder cancer on an average about 90% are likely to life 5 years after diagnosis.
A remission may occur when cancer cannot be detected in the body and there are no symptoms. This may either be temporary or permanent. Talk with the doctor about the possibility of the cancer returning is an important exercise to help cope with a second bout of cancer.
If the cancer does return after the original treatment, it is called recurrent cancer. Recurrence may happen at the site of local incidence, an area close to it or another place. When this happens, a new cycle of testing begins to learn as much as possible about the recurrence. After testing is done, treatment options for bladder cancer are the next thing to explore.
People with recurrent cancer may go through quite a bit of turmoil. Opening up to the health care team about these feelings and ask for support services can help cope.
What happens if treatment is unsuccessful
Although, recovery from bladder cancer is possible, there is a good chance that it might return. If the cancer cannot be cured or treated, the disease may be called advanced or terminal.
While diagnosis may be stressful and hard to discuss, consulting professional help and getting social support is important. Open and honest conversations with the doctor and health care team to express your feelings, preferences, and concerns can do prove useful.
Patients with advanced cancer and who are expected to live less than 6 months may consider hospice care. Hospice care is a particular type of palliative care designed to make sure the best possible quality of life is available people who are near the end of life. The patient and the patient’s family are encouraged to talk with the health care team about hospice care options. This includes hospice care at home, a special hospice center, or other health care locations. Nursing care and special equipment be workable for those who opt for staying at home.
Prognosis
While learning from the statistics is informative, the numbers themselves cannot give one a prognosis. The health panel will factor in each patient’s unique circumstance and give them a general idea of what can be expected.
