Bladder Tumor Resection (TURBT)
What is TURBT?
Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor (TURBT) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure to remove tumors from the bladder lining, typically for diagnosing and treating non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). It’s the first-line treatment for such cancers, which account for 75–80% of bladder cancer cases. In India, TURBT is performed in urology departments at hospitals like Apollo, Fortis, Medanta, and AIIMS, often at affordable costs. Understanding the procedure, costs, recovery, risks, and FAQs is essential for patients.
Why do you need TURBT?
TURBT is indicated for:
- Bladder tumors:
- Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC, stages Ta, T1, or CIS; 75–80% of cases).
- Benign tumors (e.g., papillomas, rare).
- Suspicious lesions found on cystoscopy or imaging (e.g., hematuria workup).
- Diagnostic purpose:
- Biopsy to confirm cancer type, grade, and stage.
- Therapeutic purpose:
- Remove visible tumors to prevent progression.
- Associated treatments:
- Often followed by intravesical therapy (e.g., BCG or chemotherapy) for high-risk NMIBC.
- Timing:
- Performed in adults (average age 65–70 years at diagnosis); urgency depends on tumor grade and symptoms (e.g., hematuria).
The procedure aims to remove all visible tumors, stage the cancer, and guide further treatment, using a transurethral approach to avoid external incisions.
Why Do TURBT Costs Vary in India?
Costs range from ₹50,000 to ₹1.5 lakh :
- Procedure Complexity: Simple TURBT (₹50,000–₹80,000); with intravesical therapy or blue light (₹80,000–₹1.5 lakh).
- Hospital/Location: Higher in metro cities (Apollo, Fortis: ₹80,000–₹1.5 lakh); lower in government hospitals (AIIMS: ₹20,000–₹50,000, often subsidized under Ayushman Bharat).
- Surgeon’s Expertise: Experienced urologists charge more.
- Additional Costs: Anesthesia (₹5,000–₹15,000), hospital stay (₹5,000–₹10,000/day), pathology (₹5,000–₹10,000), medications (₹2,000–₹5,000).
- Insurance: Often covered (medical necessity); confirm with your provider.
TURBT Procedure
- Before Surgery Evaluation:
- Assessment:
- Cystoscopy: Visualizes tumor size, location, and number.
- Imaging: CT/MRI to assess tumor depth or spread (if suspected).
- Urine tests: Cytology for cancer cells; rules out infection.
- Blood tests: Blood sugar, clotting profile.
- Preparation: Stop blood thinners (e.g., aspirin) 5–7 days prior if safe.
- Consent: Risks, including recurrence, are explained.
- Assessment:
- Surgical Technique:
- TURBT:
- Performed under general or spinal anesthesia, lasting 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Process:
- A resectoscope (thin tube with camera and wire loop) is inserted through the urethra into the bladder.
- Tumor resected: Wire loop cuts and removes tumor tissue; cautery controls bleeding.
- Biopsy: Samples taken from tumor and surrounding bladder wall (to check for invasion).
- Bladder wash: Saline irrigation removes debris; may include chemotherapy (e.g., mitomycin-C) to reduce recurrence.
- Post-op: Catheter placed for 1–3 days to drain urine and blood clots; continuous bladder irrigation (CBI) may be used.
- Intraoperative Tools:
- Resectoscope: Visualizes and resects tumor.
- Bipolar cautery: Controls bleeding.
- Blue light cystoscopy (if available): Uses fluorescence to detect carcinoma in situ (CIS).
- TURBT:
- After Surgery:
- Hospital stay: 1–3 days.
- Care: Catheter removed after 1–3 days; monitor urine output and color (expect blood initially).
- Pain management: Mild pain or burning during urination for 3–5 days; managed with painkillers (e.g., paracetamol).
- Instructions: Avoid strenuous activity for 2–4 weeks; drink plenty of water to flush bladder.
Recovery After TURBT
- Hospital Stay: 1–3 days.
- Post-Surgery Care:
- Pain/Discomfort: Mild burning or urgency during urination for 3–5 days; resolves in 1–2 weeks.
- Activity: Avoid strenuous activity for 2–4 weeks; light activities in 3–5 days.
- Catheter: Removed in 1–3 days; blood in urine (hematuria) normal for 1–2 weeks.
- Bladder: Drink 2–3 liters of water daily to flush; avoid irritants (e.g., caffeine, alcohol) for 2 weeks.
- Results: Pathology report in 5–7 days; informs further treatment (e.g., BCG for high-risk NMIBC).
- Follow-Up:
- Visits at 1 week (check healing), 1 month (cystoscopy), and every 3 months for 2 years (high recurrence risk).
- Cystoscopy: Monitors for recurrence (30–50% for NMIBC).
Most resume normal activities in 1–2 weeks; full recovery takes 2–4 weeks. Success rate: 80–90% for complete tumor removal in NMIBC; recurrence rates are 30–50% within 5 years, requiring vigilant follow-up.
Risks and Complications
- Surgical Risks:
- Bleeding (2–5%): Hematuria; may need re-catheterization or reoperation (<1%).
- Infection (3–5%): UTI; treated with antibiotics.
- Anesthesia risks (<1%): Reaction to anesthesia; rare in healthy patients.
- Post-Surgery:
- Bladder perforation (1–3%): Small tears during resection; may need catheter for longer or repair.
- Urethral stricture (1–2%): Narrowing from catheter; may need dilation.
- Bladder irritability (5–10%): Urgency/frequency; often temporary, resolves in 2–4 weeks.
- Tumor seeding (rare, <1%): Cancer cells spread during resection; mitigated by intravesical therapy.
- Long-Term:
- Recurrence (30–50%): NMIBC often recurs; needs regular cystoscopy.
- Progression (10–20%): To muscle-invasive cancer; may require cystectomy (bladder removal).
Report fever, severe pain, heavy bleeding, or inability to urinate promptly.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What causes the need for TURBT?
Bladder tumors, usually NMIBC (75–80% of cases); often linked to smoking, chemical exposure, or chronic bladder irritation.
Can I avoid TURBT?
No, if tumor confirmed: TURBT is diagnostic and therapeutic; monitoring alone risks progression.
Is TURBT painful?
Mild discomfort for 3–5 days, managed with medication; resolves in 1–2 weeks.
How soon can I resume normal activities?
Light activities: 3–5 days; full recovery: 2–4 weeks; avoid strenuous activity for 2–4 weeks.
Is TURBT covered by insurance in India?
Often covered (medical necessity); confirm with your provider; Ayushman Bharat often subsidizes.
Signs of complications?
Fever, severe pain, heavy bleeding, or inability to urinate.
Will I need more treatments after TURBT?
Likely for high-risk NMIBC: Intravesical BCG (6 weeks) or chemotherapy; regular cystoscopy to monitor recurrence.
Lifestyle changes post-surgery?
Drink plenty of water, avoid bladder irritants, quit smoking (reduces recurrence), and attend follow-ups.
Conclusion
TURBT is a safe and effective procedure for diagnosing and treating non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer, with a quick recovery but a need for vigilant follow-up due to recurrence risk. India’s top hospitals (Apollo, Fortis, AIIMS) provide affordable care, often covered by insurance. Understanding the procedure, costs, recovery, risks, and FAQs helps patients approach treatment confidently. Consult a urologist for personalized guidance.
Looking for Best Hospitals for TURBT
Note: we are not promoting any hospitals
we are not promoting any hospitals we sourced all the details from google and hospitals website, please verify and start with your surgery here we go the list includes government, budget and superspeciality hospitals accreditation bodies are the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) and the Joint Commission International (JCI)
- click on your city and schedule your surgery now done in good hands.
| City | Minimum Price (₹) | Maximum Price (₹) |
|---|---|---|
Agra |
60,000 |
2,25,000 |
Ahmedabad |
70,000 |
2,50,000 |
Ajmer |
60,000 |
2,25,000 |
Aligarh |
60,000 |
2,25,000 |
Allahabad |
60,000 |
2,25,000 |
Amritsar |
65,000 |
2,35,000 |
Aurangabad |
65,000 |
2,35,000 |
Bangalore |
70,000 |
2,50,000 |
Bareilly |
60,000 |
2,25,000 |
Belgaum |
65,000 |
2,35,000 |
Bhopal |
65,000 |
2,35,000 |
Bhubaneswar |
65,000 |
2,35,000 |
Bikaner |
60,000 |
2,25,000 |
Chandigarh |
70,000 |
2,50,000 |
Chennai |
70,000 |
2,50,000 |
Coimbatore |
70,000 |
2,50,000 |
Dehradun |
65,000 |
2,35,000 |
Delhi |
70,000 |
2,50,000 |
Dhanbad |
60,000 |
2,25,000 |
Durgapur |
60,000 |
2,25,000 |
Faridabad |
70,000 |
2,50,000 |
Ghaziabad |
70,000 |
2,50,000 |
Gorakhpur |
60,000 |
2,25,000 |
Guntur |
65,000 |
2,35,000 |
Gurgaon |
70,000 |
2,50,000 |
Guwahati |
65,000 |
2,35,000 |
Gwalior |
60,000 |
2,25,000 |
Hyderabad |
70,000 |
2,50,000 |
Indore |
65,000 |
2,35,000 |
Jabalpur |
60,000 |
2,25,000 |
Jaipur |
70,000 |
2,50,000 |
Jalandhar |
65,000 |
2,35,000 |
Jamshedpur |
65,000 |
2,35,000 |
Jodhpur |
60,000 |
2,25,000 |
Kanpur |
60,000 |
2,25,000 |
Kochi |
70,000 |
2,50,000 |
Kolkata |
70,000 |
2,50,000 |
Kollam |
65,000 |
2,35,000 |
Lucknow |
65,000 |
2,35,000 |
Ludhiana |
70,000 |
2,50,000 |
Madurai |
65,000 |
2,35,000 |
Mangalore |
65,000 |
2,35,000 |
Meerut |
60,000 |
2,25,000 |
Moradabad |
60,000 |
2,25,000 |
Mumbai |
70,000 |
2,50,000 |
Mysore |
70,000 |
2,50,000 |
Nagpur |
65,000 |
2,35,000 |
Nashik |
65,000 |
2,35,000 |
Navi Mumbai |
70,000 |
2,50,000 |
Noida |
70,000 |
2,50,000 |
Patna |
60,000 |
2,25,000 |
Pune |
70,000 |
2,50,000 |
Raipur |
65,000 |
2,35,000 |
Rajkot |
65,000 |
2,35,000 |
Ranchi |
60,000 |
2,25,000 |
Surat |
70,000 |
2,50,000 |
Thane |
70,000 |
2,50,000 |
Vadodara |
65,000 |
2,35,000 |
Varanasi |
60,000 |
2,25,000 |
Visakhapatnam |
65,000 |
2,35,000 |
Disclaimer
This information is sourced from open platforms and is for general awareness only. Costs may vary based on individual cases. Please consult a qualified doctor for medical advice and explore options within your budget before deciding on the procedure.