# Cystoscopy, blue-light imaging & TURBT

Source: https://onco.cc/technologies/cystoscopy-turbt/  
OnCo record `cystoscopy-turbt` (Technology). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Cystoscopy and TURBT mean looking inside the bladder with a camera and shaving off tumours through the urethra. Blue-light dyes make flat tumours easier to see.

## Summary

Transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT) is both diagnosis and treatment for NMIBC; re-resection for T1 disease; en-bloc resection is emerging. Blue-light cystoscopy with hexaminolevulinate improves detection of CIS and reduces recurrence. Urine biomarkers (Cxbladder, UroVysion, Bladder EpiCheck) aim to reduce surveillance cystoscopy frequency.

## Fields

- Kind: Technology
- Status: standard-of-care
- Last checked: 2026-09-07
- Principle: The bladder is visualised endoscopically with white or fluorescence light, and tumours are resected down to muscle with electrosurgery or laser.
- Strengths: Organ-sparing; Immediate pathology and staging
- Limitations: Understaging in ~25% of T1 tumours; Lifelong surveillance burden

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transurethral_resection_of_bladder_tumor
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transurethral_resection_of_bladder_tumor

## Connected records

- cancers: [Bladder & urothelial cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/urothelial/)
- fronts: [Diagnostics & Biomarkers](https://onco.cc/fronts/diagnostics/), [Surgery & Interventional](https://onco.cc/fronts/surgery/)
- terms: [Non-muscle-invasive vs muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC / MIBC)](https://onco.cc/terms/nmibc-vs-mibc/)
- ideas: [Urine tumour DNA to replace surveillance cystoscopy in NMIBC](https://onco.cc/ideas/idea-urine-ctdna-surveillance/)
- drugs: [Cxbladder](https://onco.cc/drugs/cxbladder/), [UroVysion Bladder Cancer Kit](https://onco.cc/drugs/urovysion/)
- companies: [Karl Storz](https://onco.cc/companies/karl-storz/), [SBI Pharmaceuticals](https://onco.cc/companies/sbi-pharmaceuticals/)
- technologies: [Bladder EpiCheck urine methylation test](https://onco.cc/technologies/bladder-epicheck/), [Photodynamic therapy lasers and light sources](https://onco.cc/technologies/photodynamic-therapy-lasers/), [Urine tests for bladder cancer (cytology, FISH, RNA and methylation)](https://onco.cc/technologies/urine-bladder-cancer-tests/)

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