✦ Bladder Cancer Treatment

Partial Cystectomy

Q: Is partial cystectomy as effective as radical cystectomy?

Partial cystectomy has higher recurrence rates than radical cystectomy; it is reserved for highly selected patients with favourable tumour characteristics.

Q: What happens if the cancer comes back?

Recurrence within the bladder is managed with TURBT, intravesical therapy, or radical cystectomy depending on stage and location. Your consultant will provide specific guidance based on your individual clinical situation and recovery.

Q: How much bladder capacity will I have after surgery?

Bladder capacity initially reduces after partial cystectomy; most patients compensate well over 6–12 months through adaptive changes. Your consultant will provide specific guidance based on your individual clinical situation and recovery.

Bladder-Preserving Surgical Removal of Isolated Bladder Tumour

90–150 min PROCEDURE

3–5 Days HOSPITAL STAY

>75% SUCCESS RATE

3–4 Weeks RECOVERY

What is Partial Cystectomy?

Partial Cystectomy is the surgical removal of a segment of bladder wall containing the tumour while preserving the remaining bladder. It is a bladder-sparing option for selected patients with solitary, muscle-invasive tumours in locations amenable to excision with adequate margins — particularly the dome or posterior wall — in whom urothelial CIS is absent and bladder capacity after resection will be adequate. The procedure is performed under general or spinal anaesthesia with a hospital stay of 3–5 Days. Success rates reach >75% in appropriately selected patients at experienced centres.

Selected patients with solitary muscle-invasive bladder cancer at the dome or posterior wall, no CIS, adequate post-resection bladder capacity, and who are not candidates for or refuse radical cystectomy.

How the Procedure Works

Cystoscopic Assessment

Pre-operative flexible cystoscopy and EUA confirm tumour location, size, and mobility relative to the bladder neck and ureteric orifices.

Bladder Exposure

A lower midline or Pfannenstiel incision provides access to the retropubic space and bladder.

Tumour Excision

The bladder is opened well away from the tumour through healthy mucosa; the tumour segment is excised with clear margins.

Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection

Standard pelvic lymph node dissection is performed removing the external iliac, obturator, and hypogastric lymph node packets.

Bladder Closure & Drainage

The cystotomy is closed in two layers with absorbable sutures; catheter placed; drain inserted.

Outcomes

90–150 minDURATION

3–5 DaysHOSPITAL STAY

>75%SUCCESS RATE

3–4 WeeksFULL RECOVERY

Who Needs This Treatment?

→Patients with a single bladder tumour located at the dome or posterior wall with no CIS elsewhere.
→Those with urachal carcinoma — a tumour arising in the urachal remnant at the bladder dome.
→Patients with muscle-invasive disease (T2) in anatomically favourable locations allowing adequate margins.
→Those who decline or are medically unfit for radical cystectomy.
→Patients with endometriosis, leiomyoma, or other benign bladder tumours requiring excision.
→Anyone where preservation of the native bladder meaningfully improves quality of life.

"Partial cystectomy offers a select group of patients a genuine chance at cure while preserving their bladder. Patient selection is everything — in the right case, outcomes rival radical surgery."

— — Dr. Vipin Reddy, Consultant Urologist, Andrologist & Renal Transplant Surgeon

Common Questions

Frequently Asked

Is partial cystectomy as effective as radical cystectomy?+

What happens if the cancer comes back?+

How much bladder capacity will I have after surgery?+

Not sure which treatment is right for you?

Book a consultation with Dr. Vipin Reddy and get a personalised treatment plan.

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