Hello...my husband is 47 and has been diagnosed with a t4 urothelial (tcc) bladder cancer that is inoperable...we found out about it because he is a quadriplegic and his right kidney stopped working, which it turns out was due to a blocked bladder...he now has a nephrostomy tube in his left kidney and the surgeons at Vanderbilt have said the tumor is far too large and probably fixed to the pelvic wall, therefore radical cystectomy is not an option. They are recommending chemo to see if the tumor can be downgraded and resected. they have given Bryan anywhere from 6 months to 2 years, if he responds well to chemo and can be operated on...
we cannot find much information on people who have bladder cancer to this extent, since most seem to be superficial ...any information would be so appreciated, especially if you or a loved on has this cancr and you can tell us what will happen? We are told cause of death may be kidney failure or bowel obstruction, but since they don't know the bladder is fixed, we wonder if they could be wrong and this is not as dire (probably our desperation, but we want to find out)...has anyone had PET scans for diagnosis? Do you have a fixed bladder, directly attachhed to nearby organs or pelvis...? Please help us...and God bless You!!