My father has been diagnosed with bladder cancer. We know it is an aggressive form, and that it has made its way to the bladder wall. Due to other medical conditions he is unable to have any treatment. My father isn't willing to have further tests to see if the cancer has spread outside of his bladder. I cannot find any information about what to expect in terms of symptoms and life expectancy. All the information I can find is based on someone having treatment.
Dear Pink Lemonade
Thanks for getting in touch with us and welcome to our online community. I hope you find it a helpful and supportive way to communicate with others. My name is Joanne and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialist’s on the Macmillan Support Line.
I’m sorry to hear that your dad has been diagnosed with bladder cancer and that he is unable to have any treatment. Often when someone knows that there are no treatments for their cancer, they chose not to have any further tests. This can be because of the invasive nature of some tests and sometimes not knowing the extent of the cancer can be a way of coping. This will help your dad but leaves many questions unanswered for you and other family members.
As you have found, much of the information about survival times are based on those who have treatment. When someone isn’t having treatment, the statistics aren’t relevant anymore. His life expectancy will be influenced by many things, including how fast his cancer progresses and the other medical conditions he has. It can be difficult to ask about life expectancy
Over the coming months your dad will be offered palliative treatments which aim to treat any symptoms as they occur rather than the cancer itself. His GP should be able to refer him to his local palliative care team (sometimes these nurses are known as Macmillan Nurses), and they will manage symptoms such as pain and offer psychological support for him and sometimes close family. It can be very difficult caring for someone with cancer and it is important to look after yourself too.
I wonder if you might benefit from giving our support line a call. We often find we can explain our answers in a bit more detail over the phone, giving you the opportunity to ask more questions if needed. It can be very overwhelming not knowing how things might affect you moving forward. And although we can’t tell you exactly what to expect, we can help explain what usually happens for most people in a similar situation.
Best wishes
Joanne, Cancer Information Nurse Specialist
You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email.
Ref/ JF/LZD
