BLADDER CANCER - START YOUR TREATMENT NOW
THE BEST DOCTORS, THE BEST HOSPITALS, THE BEST MEDICATIONS and TREATMENTS
BLADDER CANCER STANDARD TREATMENT
Bladder cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide, affecting both men and women, though men are significantly more likely to be diagnosed. In EU there were 134,227 new cases of bladder cancer in 2024 alone, with 31,582 deaths recorded. Early-stage bladder cancer is often treatable successfully, however, recurrence rates remain high, where many patients face repeated interventions over their lifetime.
Traditional treatments such as surgery and intravesical therapy have long been the standard of care, but in recent years, advances in immunotherapy, targeted treatments, and minimally invasive surgical techniques have opened up new possibilities.
The Zdenko Kos Foundation offers advanced therapies and excellent medical facilities using innovative technologies along with top class skilled medical professionals.
Why choose and book the treatment with Zdenko Kos Foundation?
The main reasons are:
- Precise diagnostics
- Highly advanced technologies and innovative therapies
- The highest success rates with our multidisciplinary treatment approaches and personalized care plans
- Accessibility for all patients from Europe and elsewhere (International patients who are self-paying or have international medical insurance are always welcome)
- Comprehensive medicine and holistic care
- Free rehabilitation in hospital after the procedure
Book Your Bladder Cancer Standard Treatment Here
STANDARD PROCEDURES IN EUROPE AND IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
BLADDER CANCER STAGES AND CLASSIFICATION
Make no mistake, bladder cancer isn’t a single disease - it comes in many forms and degrees of severity. That’s why proper staging and classification are so essential because they shape the entire course of treatment and affect long-term outcomes. Within the diagnosis, we have to assess two things:
1) How deeply the tumour has grown into the bladder wall and
2) Whether it has spread to nearby or distant areas. Staging helps determine whether a patient will need local therapies or more aggressive treatment.
Under the microscope, tumours can look very different depending on which cells they originated from - and this can dramatically affect both treatment and prognosis.
UROTHELIAL CARCINOMA (also known as transitional cell carcinoma) is the most common form, which accounts for about 90% of all bladder cancer cases majority in industrialized countries. These tumours develop from the urothelial cells lining the inside of the bladder and can appear as either superficial or invasive, low-grade or high-grade. Urothelial carcinoma is also the type most likely to recur, which is why long-term surveillance is often necessary.
Stages of Bladder Cancer
When the type is determined, using a standardized staging system - usually TNM, which stands for Tumour Size/Depth - Node Involvement - Metastasis the stages are classified from I to IV, where each one representing a deeper level of invasion and spread.
Stage I: The cancer has grown into the connective tissue just beneath the bladder lining (T1), but not yet into the muscle.
Stage II: The tumour has invaded the muscular wall of the bladder (T2).
Stage III: The tumour extends beyond the bladder wall into surrounding tissues like the fat around the bladder or nearby organs (such as the prostate in men or the uterus in women). It may also involve nearby lymph nodes (T3 or T4a, N0–1).
Stage IV: The cancer has spread even further—to the abdominal or pelvic wall, distant lymph nodes, or organs such as the lungs, bones, or liver.
To stage the cancer accurately is crucial.
DIAGNOSTIC METHODS
Accurate diagnosis is the cornerstone of effective bladder cancer treatment. Because symptoms can be subtle or mimic other urinary conditions, correct diagnose rely on a combination of diagnostic tools to confirm the presence of cancer and determine its extent.
CYSTOSCOPY AND BIOPSY
The gold standard for bladder cancer diagnosis is cystoscopy—a procedure where a thin, flexible tube equipped with a camera (a cystoscope) is inserted through the urethra to examine the bladder lining directly. This allows the urologist to spot suspicious lesions or tumours in real time.
If abnormalities are found, a biopsy is performed during cystoscopy. Small tissue samples are collected and sent to the lab for histological analysis, which confirms the cancer type and grade. Biopsy results guide treatment decisions and staging.
While cystoscopy gives a direct view of the bladder, imaging is what reveals the bigger picture. It shows whether the cancer has stayed local or moved beyond, which is essential for proper staging [3]. In many cases, multiple imaging modalities are used together to ensure nothing is missed—especially in patients with high-grade or muscle-invasive tumours.
Imaging Techniques: CT, MRI, and PET-CT.
COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (CT)
Computed Tomography (CT) scans provide detailed cross-sectional images of the bladder and surrounding organs, helping detect tumour invasion into muscle or nearby tissues, as well as lymph node involvement.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI)
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) offers excellent soft tissue contrast and is especially useful for evaluating the depth of tumour invasion and involvement of adjacent structures without radiation exposure.
POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY COMBINED WITH CT (PET-CT)
Positron Emission Tomography combined with CT (PET-CT) is increasingly used for detecting distant metastases and assessing the whole body for cancer spread, providing functional imaging that complements anatomical scans.
UROLOGICAL LABORATORY TESTS
Alongside imaging and endoscopic evaluations, several lab tests support diagnosis and monitoring:
Urinalysis detects blood or abnormal cells in the urine.
Urine cytology examines urine samples under a microscope to identify cancer cells shed from the bladder lining.
Urine-based biomarkers are also emerging to improve early detection, though they are not yet widely standardized.
These laboratory tools are often the first signal that something is wrong, especially in patients with microscopic haematuria or vague urinary symptoms. Although they can’t replace cystoscopy, they’re a valuable part of the diagnostic toolkit—particularly for follow-up and ongoing monitoring.
OPTIONS FOR BLADDER CANCER TREATMENT
The choice of treatment for bladder cancer depends on many factors primally of the stage of the disease, then the type of tumour and as well with the patient’s overall health. The treatment strategies fall into two categories:
- The standard or
- Innovative.
While early-stage cancers may be treated locally, more advanced or recurrent tumours often require a combination of systemic and locoregional approaches. Here’s how modern bladder cancer care is evolving.
STANDARD TREATMENT
For decades, the core treatment options for bladder cancer have cantered on:
- Surgery (cystectomy)
- Chemotherapy and
- Radiotherapy.
These remain the basics treatments in most hospitals around the EU.
SURGERY
For non-muscle-invasive tumours, transurethral resection of the bladder tumour (TURBT) is often the first step.
In more advanced stages, radical cystectomy - complete removal of the bladder - is performed.
Sometimes with lymph node dissection and urinary reconstruction.
INTRAVESICAL THERAPY
After transurethral resection of the bladder tumour (TURBT), patients with superficial bladder cancer often receive intravesical BCG or chemotherapy instillations directly into the bladder to prevent recurrence and progression.
SYSTEMATIC CHEMOTHERAPY
For muscle-invasive or metastatic cases, chemotherapy remains the gold standard. It is often used either before cystectomy (neoadjuvant) or after (adjuvant), and sometimes as primary treatment for inoperable disease—often combined with radiation therapy.
RADIOTHERAPY
In patients who cannot undergo surgery or choose bladder-sparing approaches, radiation therapy - often combined with chemotherapy - can be used to control the tumour and preserve bladder function.
INNOVATIVE AND TARGETED THERAPIES
There are the limits the standard treatments of bladder cancer helped patients. However, with standard treatments come with side effects, limitations and in some cases a high risk of relapse. That's where innovative comes in.
DENDRITIC CELL THERAPY
The most promising breakthroughs in bladder cancer stage 4 treatment is dendritic cell therapy.
Dendritic cell therapy is a form of personalized immunotherapy designed to reawaken the immune system's ability to detect and destroy cancer.
Immune cells are collected from the patient’s blood and exposed in the lab to antigens from their own tumour.
Such lab grown cells are then re-injected into the patient to activate cytotoxic T-cells, which can identify and attack bladder cancer cells throughout the body.
Advantages with such treatment is of using the patient’s own biology, minimizing the risk of rejection.
It’s highly targeted, meaning fewer systemic side effects.
It may work even in late-stage or recurrent cases where traditional treatments have failed.
While still considered an advanced treatment, excellent clinical results suggest improved survival in select patients, especially when combined with other therapies.
TRANS ARTERIAL CHEMOEMBOLIZATION (TACE)
TACE is a minimally invasive procedure that delivers chemotherapy directly into the arteries feeding the tumour, then immediately blocks those arteries to trap the drug and cut off the cancer’s oxygen supply. While traditionally used for liver tumours, TACE is becoming an important option in bladder cancer stage 4 treatment, especially for patients who are not considered for cystectomy.
Benefits of TACE:
- Localized impact: The drug stays concentrated in the tumour area, higher doses can be used without overwhelming the rest of the body.
- Reduced systemic toxicity: Patients typically experience fewer side effects than with intravenous chemotherapy.
- Palliative potential: In patients with large, inoperable pelvic tumours, TACE can help shrink the mass, relieve pressure, and make future treatments (like cystectomy or immunotherapy) more feasible. This technique, performed by interventional radiologists, has become a powerful option for treating bladder tumours that are difficult to remove surgically or have not responded to standard chemotherapy.
TARGETED IMMUNE-BASED PERSONALIZED TREATMENTS
Apart of Dendritic Cell Therapy and TACE there are several other innovative treatments:
- Blocking PD-1/PD-L1 pathways - immune checkpoint inhibitors work like brakes on the immune system attacking the tumour more effectively. This method is often used after initial non-invasive bladder cancer treatment has been tried, offering a powerful next step when needed.
- FGFR-targeted therapies are getaway option for patients whose tumours carry FGFR2 or FGFR3 mutations. These drugs directly interfere with growth signals that cancer cells rely on.
- Hyperthermic intravesical chemotherapy (HIVEC) combines heated chemotherapy with local delivery into the bladder, increasing absorption and cytotoxic effect while minimizing systemic exposure.
- Isolated pelvic perfusion and regional chemotherapy techniques deliver high-dose drugs to the pelvic area with minimal exposure to other organs.
- Full-Spectrum Treatment Options is an option for early-stage tumours possible would be TURBT (transurethral resection of bladder tumour) followed by intravesical immunotherapy. These methods aim to control the disease while preserving bladder function and quality of life.
PRICES FOR BLADDER CANCER STANDARD & TARGETED TREATMENT PROCEDURES
Bladder cancer Standard and Improved treatment Price List:
- Bladder cancer diagnostics £2,200
- Bladder cancer standard treatment half course £18,800
- Bladder cancer treatment full course £31,000
- Bladder Innovative Methods half course (depend which method will be used) £14,000
- Bladder Innovative Methods full course (depend which method will be used) £34,000
- Oncological rehabilitation £0.00 if booked and admitted with The Zdenko Kos Foundation.
The above figures represent ¼ of the price, the balance of ¾ of the original price contributed and covered by The Zdenko Kos Foundation.
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
What is included in the treatment plan and pathway?
Following receipt of your initial submission and supporting documents (clinical letters, imaging, test results), you will be asked to select your preferred hospital from our list:
- You will then be advised of available admission dates for your initial two day stay
- On admission you will have a full diagnostic review, with all tests and investigations completed within 24 hours of your arrival.
- Your face-to-face consultation will then take place with the appropriate specialist Consultant and resident Doctor. The treatment plan will be presented for discussion and agreement; if the first proposal is not acceptable to you, an alternative treatment plan will be offered.
- Treatment can commence that day; treatment may include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery and other therapies.
- Dependent on your treatment pathway you will either stay in hospital or you will be discharged and advised when you need to return.
- Hospital visits can be required every 2-3 weeks; the fixed fee includes all hospital visit and treatments for up to one year
Can I choose the hospital for my treatment?
Yes, you can select the hospital you would like to be during your treatment, however, keep in mind that that particular hospital must have a department and wards for the kind of profile of your medical issue. When the patients identify where they would like to have their treatment, they must have in mind the remoteness from the airports, main road and main railways in cases of any emergencies.
We’ll give our recommendation which is based on a long experience and a profound analysis of all criteria necessary for the quality of medical the patients are looking for.
How much does treatment cost?
When you book your treatment with us you will get fix figure of which you are paying just ¼ of original cost only, the balance of ¾ contributed and paid by Zdenko Kos Foundation.
Costs for hospitals are also fixed for entire year, therefore, if you are having treatment over one year, the hospital costs might changed. Once you make the payment for the hospital (eg. for one year) you have hospital free of any charges doesn't matter how many times and days per year you spent in the hospital, doesn't matter how many times you are booked and discharged from the hospital.
What is the cost of your services
Depending on the duration of the medical program the cost in every hospital doesn't matter, the country may vary - but not when you are booking with us. Our prices are fixed doesn't matter what we may find once eg. surgery or treatment start. All the costs of our services are significantly lower, up to 80% (depending on treatment) that you will have to pay either through your health system in your country or when organizing the program on your own. There are several reasons for it: The hospitals provided by us have special contract agreements to have fixed rates with discounts for the entire year. There are no overstated rates. You and the hospital you will be having treatment are insured specially from unforeseen expenses eg. possible complications.
With whom will I conclude the contract?
You must book with us, and you will complete the contract with us - The Zdenko Kos Foundation. It is a contract on the organization of a medical trip and provision of services. The protocol is very clear:
[1] You have to make the booking with us online on this web site (see the page with the booking box) for the treatment you are after where we are strongly suggest to give us as much data and images of your medical condition to date that we can contact you directly with our doctors, consultants and other medical staff for the treatment you would like to have.
[2] Once booking is completed, you will receive automated mail for the payment to be made. You have to make the payment in full for the treatment you would like to have in maximum 24 hours after the booking. With making the payment you start ball rolling.
[3] Being admitted to the hospital, you will conclude a direct contract with us for the provision of medical services.
{4} Once payment made you will get direct link to the doctor and counsaltant to discuss your case face-to-face via What's Up or other such service provider available to both parties depend on your locatition.
Why should I pay you, but not the hospital?
Firstly, unlike many intermediary firms and portals, we do not take from hospitals a percentage of the medical service cost because we have contract agreement not just with hospitals but also with doctors, consultants and other medical professional in each hospital we are working with.
Secondly, we are covering ¾ of costs for your procedure not to mention that your procedure-treatment will be fully insured up to £250,000 (for one year treatment) and automatically up to £500,000 (for 2-5 years treatment). The Zdenko Kos Foundation cover the hospital insurance seperately during your treatment if there may come to unforseen complication during the treatment.
Finally, as we are registered as charity, we remain independent in choosing a medical facility and work exclusively for the benefit of the patient. Any type of payment for sending a patient to the hospital is prohibited by law, since it contradicts medical ethics.
At what point do the services become paid?
The services for the organization of treatment become paid from the moment you made your medical treatment booking online and make the payment in full. Once this done, pre-treatment consultation will take the place following the initial examination (hospitalization).
Can I contact the hospital directly?
Yes, of course, you can also contact the hospital on your own. You should choose the hospital and the attending doctor, write an email to the chief doctor with a description of your case in English, ask him/her about the possibility of undergoing treatment in the hospital and the approximate cost of staying there. If you have received the consent of the hospital and you are satisfied with the price for the hospital (please specify that it must be the price for one year doesn’t matter on number of admissions and discharges and transfer an advance payment to us on our account. Once full payment is received, we will negotiate special terms with the hospital you select on your own that they will be aware of what and how many procedures they have to have in mind and secure at any time free bad in ward. If you are coming from a non-EU country write an email to the secretary of the hospital with a request to send an invitation for a visa. Please note that the invitation should come from the chief doctor, but not from the hospital's international department. After that you should on your own get a visa for medical treatment abroad, agree with the secretary of the chief physician on the date of the initial examination (hospitalization), translate medical records of local physicians into German or English (depending on the chosen country for treatment), book a hotel, prepare a transfer from the airport and find for yourself an interpreter for communication with the medical staff.
All these activities are not needed in case you are booking with us and you are choosing a hospital we would recommend. If you book with us, we will deal with your visa (if you are coming from a non-EU country), we will book you a hotel, and do all that is necessary to get you started with your treatment.
Shall I pay for a consultation?
A consultation before the treatment as well as long-distance consultation (if you are not from EU countries) is provided free except when you are returning to your home address and it is necessary to study CT or MRI images as the specialist gives an official consultation with a written opinion.
If you are not from EU countries it is imperative to translate epicurises and medical records from domestic doctors into English.
If you opt for our services for the organization of treatment with us, there is no need to translate the medical records. This will be done by qualified specialists.
What happens, if I refuse from the treatment?
If you refuse from the treatment you will get a refund of the advance payment.
The expenses for all what has been done to that moment will be deducted acordingly.
Is it possible to postpone the treatment?
Yes, it is. In case of an advance postponement (more than 48 hours before the start of the treatment), the treatment cost will not be changed, and will be deleyed till as per your request. If you intend to postpone the treatment, you must do so on written only. There may be some additional cost for consultation or pre-treatment appointment, depend on the lenght from the initial day of treatment till the day you want to be.
What security and guarantees do I have?
When booking the treatment with us all medical treatment are fully insured against possible complications and unforeseen contingencies. The additional treatment costs will be covered by the insurance covered and paid by The Zdenko Kos Foundation.
How is my personal data managed?
The Kos Foundation is a Data Controller therefore rest assured that your personal data and all material you submit over our link along with all medical history with us will be protected according to current regulations and legislation, using advanced security technologies. Medical history will not be disclosed to any 3rd party even to your GP without your special written permission.
Check list for inpatient and outpatient
When you pack your bag for your hospital stay, the following things should not be missing:
For your record
- Referral certificate from the general practitioner or specialist
- Health insurance card
For your treatment
- Medicines in original packaging that you take at home
- Current preliminary findings, such as X-rays, CT/MRI, ECG or EEG, blood tests, etc.
- Doctor's Letters
- If available, living will and power of attorney
- If available: allergy passport, vaccination certificate, X-ray passport, diabetic card, blood group card
For your stay
- Your aids (e.g. wheelchair, walker, walking stick, glasses, hearing aid)
- Comfortable clothing
- Towels
- Cosmetics and personal care products
- To pass the time: books, magazines, MP3 player with headphones
- Contact details of relatives and friends
Please be aware:
When you get your inpatient admission appointment, please clarify whether you have to appear fasting on the day of admission.
Valuables
If possible, please do not bring any valuables with you, as you are liable for losses. For indispensable valuables, e.g. Your watch or wallet, you will find a small safe deposit box in the closet of your patient room in the Surgery I Dermatology and in the Psychosomatics department. In internal medicine, there is a dispensing point.
How are the visiting hours regulated?
Visitors are not only welcome to us but are also of huge importance for our patients!
Doesn’t matter with which hospital we are working with you are booking there are variable visiting hours, as well as special visiting hours which are not for regular patients visits. Once you are admitted the care team will give you all the details about visiting hours. There are also alternative that your partner (husband/wife) stay with you during the treatment. Such accommodation is available nearly in all hospitals we are working with. For such accommodation additional charges applies.
There are separate visiting hours for intensive care units while parents of young patients in the children's area have unlimited visiting hours.
Visitors are asked to be considerate of patients and fellow patients. If necessary, the nursing staff of that hospital where you are staying, will point out the necessary rest periods for patients who have just undergone surgery
Where can I reach pastoral care?
All hospitals we are working with offer pastoral care for at the Protestant and Catholic hospital chaplaincy for patients and relatives. For all other religions you will be informed by the care team at that particular hospital on the day of your admission.
What help and counselling services are available?
Doesn’t matter which hospital we are working with you choose, you will be given supports with various counselling services and support services, such as the Social Counselling Service, Psychosomatic consultation service, Special offers for cancer patients, Clinic chaplaincy, Services of other religious communities, Art therapy, Self-help, Hospice and much more.
How can I contact social services?
The Social Counselling Service can advise you on topics such as rehabilitation, post-discharge care, social law, psychosocial care and many other matters. You will get special overview with information and contact details from consultant and care team in the hospital where you start your treatment.
Inpatient stay: How is admission made?
Registration and admission for an inpatient stay
If you have made an appointment for an inpatient stay in cooperation with The Zdenko Kos Foundation, you will first be "admitted" to hospital of your choice upon arrival. This means that we record your data and inform you about your hospital stay.
Please ask exactly where you should travel when making an appointment. The Zdenko Kos Foundation has several locations and consists of many individual clinics.
An overview of the parking facilities at the clinic locations will be provided once you identify the hospital you would like to be admitted to.
When you get your inpatient admission appointment, please clarify whether you have to appear fasting on the day of admission.
What should be considered when discharging?
Your attending physician has decided that you will be discharged from the hospital. This means that you will either be discharged directly to your home or still need follow-up treatment, which will be carried out on an outpatient or inpatient basis in another clinic or rehabilitation facility. For both situations, you will get full information before discharged date.
What do the General Terms and Conditions of Contract regulate?
Accepting services of The Zdenko Kos Foundation, you are not accepting just our Terms & Conditions but also for the period of your entire treatment or stay doesn’t matter which hospital we are working with, the hospital GTCs and the house rules of that hospital in their respective valid versions which you can see and read on hospital websites directly.
