Non muscle invasive bladder cancer treatment
Your doctor or nurse examines you at each appointment. They ask how you’re feeling, whether you’ve had any or and if you’re worried about anything.
Your doctor also looks inside your using a flexible tube. This is called a . You have a or while they do this.
They might also test your urine. They are looking at the cells in the urine to look for signs of cancer. This is called a urine cytology test.
Find out more about having a cystoscopy
Your specialist decides how often you should have cystoscopies. This depends on the risk of your cancer coming back or spreading deeper into the bladder wall.
You may only need to have a cystoscopy 3 months after treatment, then after 1 year.
After this you might not need to see your doctor again.
You may have a cystoscopy at 3, 9 and 18 months after treatment.
After that you may have a cystoscopy once every year for up to 5 years after treatment. Then you might not need to see your doctor again.
You may have a cystoscopy every 3 months for the first 2 years, and then every 6 months for the next 2 years.
After that you might have one cystoscopy every year.
You still have regular check ups if you had your bladder removed for early bladder cancer. You usually have a at 6, 12 and 24 months to check for any signs of the cancer coming back.
You also have at least once a year. These are to check how well your are working, and that you are absorbing enough vitamin B.
Men also have yearly tests for up to 5 years to check their . The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of your body.
Your follow up may be different if you have been part of a . Your doctor or clinical trial team will explain to you when and what you will have after your treatment has finished.
Contact your doctor or specialist nurse if you have any concerns. You should also contact them if you notice any new symptoms between appointments. You don’t have to wait until your next visit.
Many people find their check ups quite worrying. A hospital appointment can bring back any anxiety you had about your cancer.
It can help to tell someone close to you how you’re feeling. Sharing your worries can mean they don’t seem so overwhelming. Many people find it helpful to have counselling after cancer treatment.
Read more about living with a diagnosis of bladder cancer
The surgeon can remove the growths with a cystoscopy again. This happens if stage Ta or T1 bladder cancer comes back after treatment.
Your specialist takes more to check that the cancer is still at an early stage. If it is, you usually have or treatment into the bladder. You then go back to having regular cystoscopies to check your bladder. Every 3 to 4 months you have scans to check your , tummy () and , for up to 2 years. This is usually a CT scan but can be a or .
Your doctor might suggest you have more intensive treatment such as surgery to remove your bladder (cystectomy). They might recommend this if your cancer is:
grade 3 (the cancer cells look very abnormal)
at a more advanced stage than before
that has come back after treatment into the bladder
Find out about treatments for non muscle invasive and muscle invasive bladder cancer
Last reviewed: 08 Aug 2025
Next review due: 08 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.
In non muscle invasive bladder cancer, the cancer cells are only in the inner lining of the bladder.
Coping with bladder cancer can be difficult. There are things you can do to help, and people who can support you practically and emotionally.
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.
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