Bladder and kidney cancer

Specialists at Ascension Saint Thomas deliver advanced care for urologic, prostate and male genital cancers.

Urologic cancer care in Nashville

Specialists at Ascension Saint Thomas deliver advanced care for urologic, prostate and male genital cancers

About urologic cancer care at Ascension Saint Thomas

When you choose cancer centers and Ascension Saint Thomas in Nashville, you get experienced cancer doctors who are part of a national team. Our care teams share best practices and the latest in prostate, bladder, kidney and urethral cancer treatment and research — bringing the best of cancer care to you. Every appointment with your oncologist or urology care team starts with a compassionate conversation. Your doctor answers your questions about bladder and kidney cancer, and gets to know you. So, you get a personalized cancer care plan. And with a plan, comes hope. We will help you navigate your care and will be by your side every step of the way, connecting the dots. Our goal is to help you get back to home, family, life and self sooner.

Screenings to help detect prostate cancer early

For men, getting regular prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening may help find cancer early, when it’s most treatable. Early detection may allow for more options for treatment, too. Talk with your doctor about the screenings right for you based on your age, family history, smoking history and other risk factors. If you have been previously diagnosed with cancer or are in remission, screenings may be an ongoing part of your cancer care. Talk with your doctor about the right timing for ongoing screenings. If you need help finding a doctor, start here.

A team approach that helps navigate tests and support services

Along the way, your care may require imaging, lab tests, pharmacy support, nutrition counseling or other specialists. You do not have to navigate your care alone. Your care team will help you schedule appointments, connect with other services and support groups, and answer your questions. From your first consultation and throughout your ongoing care, you and your doctor will stay connected through in-person and virtual visits. When you come into the clinic for your appointments, know that we’re maintaining strict precautions to keep you safe in our care.

Types of urologic cancers

Your doctors and care team deliver a customized care plan for your cancer. We treat many types of urologic cancer, including:

Prostate cancer
Bladder cancer
Kidney (renal) cancer
Ureteral cancer
Urethral cancer

How we diagnose urologic cancer

Your care team focuses on identifying if the tumor is non-invasive or invasive and to understand where the tumor began and whether or not the cancer has spread. We use advanced molecular studies to recognize urologic cancer subtypes to create a care plan for your type of cancer. To diagnose urologic cancer, your doctor may recommend testing, such as:

A biopsy is a tiny piece (called a sample) of cells and tissue. A bladder biopsy is often done during a cystoscopy. If your healthcare provider sees something that looks like cancer, a small sample of that tissue can be removed.

A blood test is a lab analysis of things that may be found in your blood. You may have blood tests to keep track of how well you are managing a condition, such as diabetes or high cholesterol. You may also have them for routine checkups or when you are ill.

If you want to learn more about other cancer care options, talk to your doctor. You may want to ask whether cancer clinical trials are the right option for you.

This scan uses X-rays and a computer to make 3-D images (often called slices) of your body. A CT scan can show any part of your body, including bones, muscles, fat, blood vessels, and organs. CT scans are a lot more detailed than X-rays.

Genetic tests can help you and your doctor better understand your risk for certain types of cancer. Ask your doctor about genetic testing and counseling to better understand your risk for developing cancer. If you have been diagnosed with cancer, your doctor may recommend genetic pathology tests to help identify genetic changes in cancer cells and tumor growth.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses a large magnet, radio waves, and a computer to make detailed pictures of organs and structures within the body. It is used to diagnose health problems.

A positron emission tomography (PET) scan is a type of nuclear medicine imaging test. It's used to look at various body tissues. It can help identify certain conditions by looking at blood flow, metabolism, and oxygen use. PET scans may also be used to see how well the treatment of certain diseases is working.

This test is done to look for signs of infection or other problems that may be causing your symptoms. You'll need to urinate in a cup for this test. Then your urine is sent to a lab to be tested for blood, certain chemical levels, and signs of infection. The urine is also cultured to see if organisms, such as bacteria, grow. It takes a few days for the test results to come back.

How we treat urologic cancer

If your kidney or bladder cancer care plan includes surgery, surgeons at Ascension Saint Thomas use the latest minimally invasive surgical techniques and urologic robotic surgery, which may help shorten your recovery, including:

If prostate cancer spreads, it often goes to the bones first. This can cause pain and other symptoms. Different types of medicines can be used to help slow the growth of the cancer in bones and help relieve symptoms. These medicines include bisphosphonates, like zoledronic acid. These are given by IV every 1 to 3 months. Another type of bone-directed therapy is denosumab It is given as a shot every 6 months. These medicines are often given with calcium and vitamin D supplements.

Chemotherapy (chemo) is the use of strong medicines to kill cancer cells. The medicines travel all through your body in your bloodstream. They attack and kill cells that grow quickly, like cancer cells. Some normal cells also grow quickly. Because of this, chemo can harm those cells.

Cryotherapy is used to freeze the cancer cells and cut off their blood supply. Tiny needles are placed right into the tumor. Argon gases are passed through the needles and exchanged with helium gases. This causes a freezing and warming cycle. The frozen, dead tissue then thaws and is naturally absorbed by the body.

Cystoscopy is a procedure that lets a healthcare provider look at the urinary tract. It can help find early signs of cancer, infection, narrowing, blockage, and bleeding.This procedure uses a long, thin, flexible, lighted tube called a cystoscope. This is put into the urethra and moved up into the bladder. The cystoscope lets the healthcare provider look closely at the inside of the urethra and bladder.

Most radiation treatments are delivered through a large X-ray type of machine. It sends the radiation beams through your skin and precisely directs the radiation at the tumor. The beams are often aimed at the tumor from many different angles. A radiation therapist works the machine. It doesn't touch you. And it won't make you radioactive.

Radiation can affect nearby normal cells. So special shields may be used to protect parts of your body near the treatment zone. Treatment is usually done 5 days a week for several weeks. These treatments don't hurt. They often last only a few minutes. They're most often done on an outpatient basis in a hospital or clinic. This means you go home the same day.

As a cancer treatment, hormone therapy may mean taking medicines that block the activity of the hormone, stop the body from making the hormone, or change the hormone so it doesn't work like it should. Sometimes hormone therapy involves surgically removing the gland that's making the hormones.

You may be given radiation therapy to help ease pain or other symptoms if your cancer has spread far from your prostate, such as to your bones. This can be done with external beam radiation therapy. For this treatment, a machine sends a beam of radiation to the bones causing your pain. If the cancer has spread to many bones, you may have an injection of a radioactive medicine instead.

Radical prostatectomy is surgery to remove the prostate gland. During the procedure, the seminal vesicles, nearby tissues, and often some pelvic lymph nodes are also removed.

Support programs and resources: Your cancer care team provides support from nutrition education and counseling to cancer support groups, yoga and spiritual care. And, at Ascension Saint Thomas sites of care, our healing gardens and chapels are always open to patients and your loved ones. We offer supportive care and activities for the whole you.

Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that boosts your body’s immune system to help it recognize and attack cancer cells. It uses substances that are either made in the body or in a lab. These substances either boost the immune system overall or help it to better target cancer cells. These medicines can shrink some tumors or slow tumor growth.

Surgeons specialize in endoscopic and robotic-assisted technology to make smaller, more precise incisions to remove tumors.

Frequently asked questions about our urologic cancer care services

Your doctor and care team get to know you well, and you’ll receive care for the whole person – from physical health and well-being to mental and emotional health. At Ascension Saint Thomas Cancer Center, we provide innovative medication treatments, the latest surgical technologies and techniques, high-tech radiation facilities and support services. When you choose Ascension Saint Thomas, you get a national team of experienced cancer specialists, sharing best practices and the latest in cancer care knowledge and research.

Urologists at Ascension Saint Thomas have the expertise to deliver advanced care for bladder and kidney cancer. Surgical procedures include:

Cystoscopy for early-stage bladder cancer removal
Immunotherapy and chemotherapy
Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (kidney surgery)
Laser ablation therapy for bladder cancer
Radiation therapy
Transurethral resection of bladder tumor

Your care team may also refer to enhanced recovery pathways as part of your surgical care plan. They are an important part of our cancer treatment programs. Each recovery path is personalized for different types of cancer treatments to help speed up your recovery after surgery. Your care team uses these protocols to help you prepare for what to expect before, during and after surgery.

Prostate cancer forms in the tissue of the prostate gland, which is approximately the size of a walnut and found below the bladder and in front of the rectum. According to the Center for Disease Control, other than non-melanoma skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United States. It is a leading cause of cancer death among men of all races.

Risk factors include:

Being an African American man
Family history (a brother or father who had prostate cancer)
Genetic risk for developing certain types of prostate cancer
Increased risk with aging

Talk to your doctor about symptoms and concerns, including:

Blood in urine or semen
Difficulty starting urination
Pain or burning during urination
Pain in the hips or pelvis that doesn’t go away
Problems ejaculating
Trouble emptying bladder completely
Urinating often, especially at night
Weak or interrupted flow of urine

Cancer that starts in the kidney is called kidney or renal pelvis cancer. The most common type of kidney cancer in adults is renal cell cancer. Talk to your doctor if you are concerned about signs of blood in the urine, a lump in the kidney and abdomen or other concerns.

Risk factors for kidney cancer include:

Genetic risk factors
High blood pressure
Infection from hepatitis C
Kidney stones
Smoking
Obesity
Sickle cell trait associated with renal medullary carcinoma
Taking certain medicines for a long time
Trichloroethylene exposure (a chemical used to remove grease from metal)

Doctors at Ascension Saint Thomas use radiologic imaging with renal ultrasound, MRI and abdominal CT scans to diagnose kidney tumors. Our surgeons use robotic surgery to remove the tumor and in some cases the whole kidney. Chemotherapy can help decrease tumor growth.

Cancer cells that form in the lining of the bladder are called bladder cancer. Talk to your doctor about urinary and lower pelvic symptoms, including:

Back pain
Blood in the urine
Having to urinate often
Pain while urinating
Pelvic pain

Long-term smoking and exposure to certain chemicals are the foremost risk factors for developing bladder cancer. Urologists use a cystoscopy to visualize the bladder, an in-office procedure. Other tests, such as CT scan imaging, urine tests and contrast imaging, help detect abnormal cells in the bladder lining and urine. At Ascension Via Christi, your doctor and care team provide surgical and nonsurgical treatment options to support your health needs.

Cancer cells form in the tissue of one or both testicles. Almost all testicular cancers start in the germ cells. This cancer is a male reproductive cancer and more often diagnosed in men ages 20 to 34. Symptoms of testicular cancer may include swelling or discomfort in the scrotum. Doctors at Ascension Via Christi use blood tests, ultrasound imaging, and biopsy tissue to diagnose testicular cancer. Surgical treatment, chemotherapy and radiation therapy may be treatment options.

When you choose Ascension Saint Thomas for your cancer care, you get an entire team dedicated to your care. You may have a lot of concerns and questions. Your doctor and care team are ready to listen and answer your questions. Working together, we offer services that help support your treatment plan, including managing pain and other symptoms, medications, appetite changes, sleeplessness, fatigue and mood changes. Your entire care team stays connected throughout your care to discuss your treatment and progress.

We can connect you with resources and programs that may be able to help you and your family with options for financial assistance. Our financial counseling team is here to listen to your concerns and work with you to help find options that meet your needs. Your cancer care team can connect you to a financial counselor.

At Ascension Saint Thomas cancer center and clinics, we offer convenient parking. Talk to your care team if you have transportation needs.

Surgical oncologists and anesthesiologists provide enhanced recovery pathways as part of your surgical care plan. They are an important part of our cancer treatment programs. Each pathway is personalized for different types of cancer treatment, to help speed up your recovery after surgery. Your care team uses these protocols to help you prepare for what to expect before, during and after surgery.