During this procedure, your surgeon uses a surgical instrument and inserts it via your urethra. As it is a minimally invasive procedure, your doctor will not make any incisions. The medical team will administer general anesthesia to ensure you sleep through the surgery or local anesthesia to numb the lower portion of your body so that you do not feel pain or discomfort.

The surgeon will then take a resectoscope, a thin and firm endoscopic device, and insert it into your bladder via the urethra. The resectoscope comes with a wire loop at its terminal. This wire loop removes the outgrowth or abnormal tissues (if any). Once your surgeon removes the tumor, they send it to the lab for biopsy.

Your doctor may suggest a few more procedures to ensure there are no cancerous growths left inside your bladder. It may include cauterization or fulguration. It burns cancer cells left (if any) with the help of an electric current.

Your doctor may also recommend intravesical chemotherapy. In this procedure, a chemotherapy drug is inserted into your bladder endoscopically.

Some guidelines your doctor will likely give you before the surgery include the following:

• Do not eat or drink the night before your surgery.
• If you take any medications, including supplements and OTC (over-the-counter), make sure to inform your healthcare provider. It will help them guide you properly and recommend whether you should stop taking them. Always consult your doctor before taking or discontinuing any medication.
• If your doctor allows some medications, ensure to have them with a sip of water or two. Do not drink a glass of water.
• Make sure to bathe before going for the surgery.
• Avoid using perfumes, body lotions, or deodorants after bathing.
• Do not wear tight clothes. Dress comfortably.
• Make sure to keep all the relevant documents handy. However, keep your belongings, such as credit and debit cars, jewelry, and money, at home or with your family members.
• Make sure you have someone to drive you home because it is less likely to be safe to go home alone under the residual effects of anesthesia.

Although Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor is a safe procedure, it may have some risks like other surgeries. These include:

• ● UTIs (Urinary tract infections)
• ● Risks associated with anesthesia
• ● Bleeding
• ● Pain and discomfort while urinating
• ● Frequent urination
• ● Incontinence
• ● Formation of a hole in your bladder
• ● Scarring of the bladder

If you experience symptoms such as high body temperature, heavy bleeding, chills (feeling cold), etc., after a TURBT, make sure to seek medical attention immediately.

After your surgery, your doctor will insert a device called a catheter into your bladder to help drain urine properly. Your urine may contain blood initially. It is normal. Hence, do not worry. Drink water and other healthy fluids to flush the toxins out of your bladder and prevent UTIs. Once your doctor finds no blood in the urine, he/she will remove the catheter and allow you to go home.

In most cases, doctors perform TURBT as an outpatient procedure. However, if you have other health conditions or a large mass is removed from your bladder, they may recommend an overnight hospital stay.

You are likely to feel uncomfortable while urinating after a couple of days following a TURBT. However, you should be able to get back to your routine in a few days.

Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor (TURBT) is one of the best and most successful treatment options for early-stage bladder cancer. It helps prevent cancer from spreading to the bladder muscle wall (non-muscle-invasive). Invasive cancers need more extensive and critical treatment. However, as bladder cancers have the tendency to come back, your doctor will likely suggest frequent follow-ups and medical checkups. It will allow your doctor to diagnose the return (if any) early.

In case TURBT reports show that your bladder cancer has advanced, your doctor will recommend further treatments. They may include the following:

• A tumor removal surgery
• More extensive Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor
• A bladder removal surgery
• Radiation
• Chemotherapy
• Bacillus Calmette-Guerin therapy

Your doctor will recommend the best course of treatment to you depending on various factors, such as your medical history and the stage of your tumor.