Surgery
A cystectomy is an operation to remove your . It's a big operation
After to remove your bladder, you need another way to collect and pass your urine. Doctors call this urinary diversion. There are different types of urinary diversion. Your doctor will talk to you about the different types and which ones might be suitable for you.
For some rarer types of bladder cancer, the surgeon might only remove part of your bladder. This is called a partial cystectomy.
You might have this surgery for:
non muscle invasive bladder cancer - this means the cancer is only in the bladder lining, or the connective tissue beneath the bladder lining
muscle invasive - this means the cancer has grown into the deeper (muscle) layer of the bladder, or beyond
For non muscle invasive bladder cancer you might have a cystectomy if your cancer:
is at a very high risk of spreading or coming back
comes back or doesn't respond to BCG (immunotherapy) treatment into your bladder
Read about treatment options for non muscle invasive bladder cancer
Cystectomy is one of the main treatments for muscle invasive bladder cancer that hasn't spread.
Read about other treatments for muscle invasive bladder cancer
A radical cystectomy means taking out the whole bladder and the nearby .
Your surgeon will also remove part of your bowel. This is so your surgeon can create another way for your body to collect and pass urine. Your surgeon will discuss this with you beforehand.
In men, the surgeon also usually removes:
the
the glands that store ()
part of your if needed
In women, the surgeon usually removes:
the
the
part of your
Your surgeon talks this through with you beforehand.
Removing part of the bladder is not a common operation for bladder cancer. It is usually a treatment for a very rare type of cancer called adenocarcinoma of the bladder.
After having a partial cystectomy, you can pass urine in the normal way. But your bladder will be smaller so you may need to go to the toilet more often.
After surgery to remove your bladder, you need another way to collect and pass your urine. Doctors call this urinary diversion. There are different types of urinary diversion. Your surgeon will discuss the most suitable options for you. They will also tell you about the benefits and complications of each type.
You might have:
a bag outside your body to collect urine (urostomy or ileal conduit)
an internal pouch to collect urine (continent urinary diversion)
a new bladder (bladder reconstruction or neobladder)
a pouch made from your back passage (recto sigmoid pouch)
This is the most common way to collect your urine. A means you have a bag outside your body to collect your urine.
The surgeon creates a new opening () for your urine to pass through. This can also be called an ileal conduit.
Read more about having a urostomy
A continent urinary diversion is an internal pouch. The surgeon makes the pouch from a section of your bowel. The pouch stores your urine. Your surgeon makes a new opening called a stoma on your tummy () for the urine to pass through.
This way of collecting urine allows you to control (be continent) when urine comes out. You don’t have to wear a bag to collect urine. You pass a thin tube () into the stoma to pass urine. This is called self catheterisation.
It is a longer operation than a urostomy and it is less common. You will have to carry on self catheterising for the rest of your life. And there is a risk that you might need further surgery in the future.
Read more about having a continent urinary diversion
Your surgeon might make you a new bladder (neobladder) from a section of your bowel. After surgery, you pass urine through your urethra as you did before. It will feel different, and you have to learn how to do this.
It is a longer operation than a urostomy and is less common. You have to pass a thin tube (catheter) through your urethra if you are unable to empty your new bladder. And there is the risk that you will need further surgery in the future.
Read about having a bladder reconstruction
A recto sigmoid pouch is when your back passage (rectum) is made into a pouch to collect urine like a bladder. After this surgery you pass urine out with your poo from your rectum.
This type of diversion is very uncommon. It is only carried out in a few hospitals by highly specialist surgeons.
This means your surgeon makes one long cut in your tummy (abdomen) to remove your bladder.
Keyhole surgery is also called minimal access or laparoscopic surgery. Instead of one large wound site on your abdomen you have several smaller wounds. Generally, with keyhole surgery people recover quicker.
The surgeon makes several small cuts on your tummy (abdomen). They put small surgical instruments and a laparoscope through these to carry out the operation. A laparoscope is like a narrow telescope that lights and magnifies the inside of your body. Your surgeon can see the images on a TV screen.
Some of the advantages of having surgery this way include:
lower length of stay in hospital
you need less pain medication
you lose less blood during the operation, so you need fewer blood transfusions
This is where the surgeon uses a machine (robot) to control the laparoscopic instruments during surgery. This is called robotically assisted laparoscopic surgery.
This is becoming the more common way of doing this cystectomy operation in the larger hospitals. Your surgeon may ask you to join a clinical trial to look at the benefits between open surgery and robotic surgery.
After a big operation, you may wake up in the intensive care unit or a high dependency recovery unit. You usually move back to the ward within a day or so.
You usually stay in hospital for 1 or 2 weeks.
Find out more about what to expect after surgery
There is a risk of problems or complications after any operation. Many problems are minor but some can be life threatening. Treating them as soon as possible is important.
We have a general page about problems after cystectomy and urinary diversion.
Go to the problems after bladder cancer surgery page
Some of the possible problems depend on which type of urinary diversion you have.
Read about the different types of bladder cancer surgery and the problems you might have
Last reviewed: 07 Aug 2025
Next review due: 07 Aug 2028
Non muscle invasive bladder cancer means the cancer cells are only in the bladder’s inner lining. You usually have surgery to remove the cancer. You may have further treatment into the bladder.
Muscle invasive bladder cancer means the cancer has spread into or through the muscle layer of the bladder. The main treatments include surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Surgery is one of the main treatments. The surgeon usually removes all your bladder and makes a new way for you to pass urine.
You will have a few tubes in place when you wake up, such as a drip, wound drain and catheter. You will be in hospital for around 1 or 2 weeks.
There is a risk of problems or complications after any operation. Many problems are minor but some can be life threatening.
Bladder cancer is cancer that starts in the lining of the bladder. The bladder is part of the urinary system, which filters waste products out of your blood and makes urine. Find out about the symptoms, how you are diagnosed, treatment, living with bladder cancer and follow up.
About Cancer generously supported by Dangoor Education since 2010. Learn more about Dangoor Education
Search our clinical trials database for all cancer trials and studies recruiting in the UK.
Connect with other people affected by cancer and share your experiences.
Questions about cancer? Call freephone 0808 800 40 40 from 9 to 5 - Monday to Friday. Alternatively, you can email us.
