Approximately 75% of patients diagnosed with bladder cancer present with non–muscle invasive disease.1 For many of these individuals, non–muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) becomes a chronic illness defined by frequent interventions: recurrent staging with transurethral resections, repeated cycles of intravesical therapy, and regular surveillance with endoscopic procedures.2 Each component of this care paradigm—resection, instillation, and surveillance—imposes its own symptom burden. For example, 1 week after transurethral resection of a bladder tumor (TURBT), one-third of patients report persistent suprapubic pain, two-thirds report genital pain and irritative voiding symptoms, and throughout recovery, nearly 10% experience clinically significant depression or anxiety.3 Ultimately, although individual procedures are often considered minor, the cumulative adverse effects of NMIBC care are frequent and compound over time.
