What is the survival rate for small cell bladder cancer in men?
Because small cell bladder cancer is not as common as other types, I can find very little about it online. My 74 year old husband was just diagnosed with Stage IV bladder cancer extending into the lymph nodes and spots on his ribs. Radical chemo started today. The doc refused to give me a time frame – just told me we needed to start chemo immediately, that the time window was very small, and that we would only get one chance with chemo. My brother died 7 years ago from small cell lung cancer…it went very fast – 7 months. Can someone give me some honest answers what kind of time and what to expect in relation to bladder cancer? He has also had prostate cancer 14 years ago but they say this is not connected. I am 54 years old and can care for him although I work full-time. Please, no religious answers – He and I both know there are no miracles.
Posted in 
Tags: One Response to “What is the survival rate for small cell bladder cancer in men?”
Leave a Reply
Small cell bladder cancer is VERY rare. However, the histology in this case is not as significant as it is in lung cancers. I know it may sound kind of strange, but every kind of cancer is a completely different disease. The problem here is the stage. I suspect the doctor is not willing to give you an estimated timeframe as much of it depends on how he responds to chemo so at this point it is too difficult to guess. And of course if the doctor can’t guess I am in no position to. However, let me explain to you what I do know and perhaps that will at least give you some kind of idea. Chemo produces a complete response in about 45% of the cases. The median time for progression is 7-8 months. The 5 year survival rate is about 6%. Hope this helps some. Best wishes.