Treatment

Ureteral cancer treatment typically involves surgery. Your treatment options for cancer of the ureter will vary depending on the size and location of your cancer, how aggressive the cells are, and your own goals and preferences.

Surgery

Surgery is often recommended to remove ureteral cancer. The extent of your surgery will depend on your situation.

For very early-stage ureteral cancer, surgery may involve removing only a portion of the ureter. For more-advanced ureteral cancer, it may be necessary to remove the affected ureter, its associated kidney (nephroureterectomy) and a portion of the bladder.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses chemicals to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy is sometimes used before surgery to shrink a tumor and make it easier to remove during surgery. Chemotherapy may be used after surgery to kill any cancer cells that may remain.

For advanced ureteral cancer, chemotherapy may be used to control signs and symptoms of the cancer.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy uses your immune system to fight cancer. Your body's disease-fighting immune system may not attack your cancer because the cancer cells produce proteins that help them hide from the immune system cells. Immunotherapy works by interfering with that process.

Immunotherapy might be an option for treating advanced ureteral cancer that hasn't responded to other treatments.

Follow-up examinations

After your treatment, your doctor will create a schedule of follow-up exams to look for signs that your cancer has returned. These exams also look for signs of bladder cancer, since people diagnosed with ureteral cancer have an increased risk of bladder cancer.

The tests you'll undergo and the schedule of exams will depend on your situation. But expect to see your doctor every few months for the first year and then less frequently after that.