Making the Decision to Have Radiation Therapy for Bladder Cancer

Your doctor may recommend radiation for you in any of the following situations.

• You have stage II or stage III bladder cancer and are also getting chemotherapy. The goal of this kind of treatment is to cure the cancer and leave you with a functioning bladder.

• You have stage III cancer and aren’t healthy enough to have surgery to take out your bladder.

• You’ve had surgery for stage II or stage III bladder cancer. You may also need radiation to kill any cancer cells that may be left after surgery.

• You have stage IV cancer. Your doctor may combine radiation with chemotherapy to kill any cancer cells that are left after surgery.