Just needing a little help with some terms please on a letter my uncle has had. He is a couple hours drive from and his partner read the letter to me. She doesn't understand much of it and forgets what has been told as is elderly herself. We are trying to get to speak to his team directly once uncle has rung and given his permission.
he had a bladder resection in mid December and went for follow up a couple of weeks back. he still has a catheter as was retaining urine when did a trial without the catheter.
G3 PT1TCC
I'm guessing the G3 is the grade of the cancer and if in the layers of the bladder.
PT1 I am not sure of the P. T1 is depth into the bladder wall and I think this is not too bad being a 1.
TCC transitional cell carcinoma.
he also had bilateral adrenal adenomas which was discovered on CT. he now needs a CT with washout. I think they think this is going to be a bladder washout but from my understanding its a dye put into the bloodstream and then ct scan to see how quickly its removed from his system.
thank you in advanced for helping.
Hello and welcome to the group. Sorry to hear about your uncle, but be aware bladder cancer can be treated successfully. You've got it pretty much spot on with the terms.
T = tumour and is the staging (1-4) . 1 being early stage.
G = grade (1-3). this is the type of cell and how aggressive it is.
TCC = transitional cell carcinoma. The most common type of tumour.
P = pathology. This just means the biopsy was carried out in a lab.
Following his TURBT (transurethral resection of bladder tumour), he should have a follow up consultation to discuss treatments. In many cases, a follow up TURBT is done to mop up and verify the findings. I hope this helps. Please feel free to ask anything you like. Many of us have been there. Best wishes.
Hi . A CT scan with contrast dye is standard to check there is nothing else outside the bladder, although I don't know how the adenomas fit in. A chemo wash is different and part of treatment. It must be difficult for you not having the full picture. Most cancer patients are allocated a CNS (clinical/cancer nurse specialist) with a dedicated phone number. These are usually the best people to contact for information if your uncle has one. Saying that, they would be unable to give you any information without your uncle's permission. Best wishes.
Hello again . Yes G3 is the faster growing type of cell, but is the most common. I am sure like most of us you have been on Google, but be aware there is a lot of out of date and misinformation out there. For detailed information, stick to recognised sites such as Macmillan info on bladder cancer , but there is always someone here to share personal experiences. Best wishes.
