Radiotherapy can be better option than surgery for bladder cancer

Radiotherapy can be a better option than surgery for people with bladder cancer, being effective while preserving continence, say experts.

Doctors typically opt to remove the whole bladder when the cancer is advanced.

But work by Cancer Research UK shows this should not necessarily be recommended as "gold standard" care.

Bladder cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the UK, with 10,093 new cases diagnosed in 2004.

Removing the bladder can treat the disease, but it may result in continence problems that the person has to live with for the rest of their life.

BBC News