From there starts a zoom at the level of the bladder wall with all its structures which shows the appearance of this stage III tumor, represented in white. From bottom to top we have the bladder cavity, the epithelium (bluish gray cells), the connective tissue, the muscle consisting of three layers and finally the tissue that surrounds the bladder, here the parietal peritoneum. At this stage of cancer, the tumor invades the tissue surrounding the bladder. In this drawing, the tumor invades the tissue that envelops the upper wall of the bladder, therefore the parietal peritoneum. This stage III is divided into three stages. In the T3a stage, the tumor has invaded neighboring tissue outside the bladder but not the pelvic wall or the abdominal wall. Or the cancer has spread to 1 lymph node in the pelvis. While in stage T3b, the cancer has spread to at least 2 lymph nodes in the pelvis or to at least 1 common iliac lymph node located just above the pelvis. Finally in stage T4a, there is invasion of neighboring organs (prostate in men and uterus and / or vagina in women). Or the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes further away from the bladder. - Restriction : Exclusive to pharmaceutical laboratories in Belgium. from 04/26/2020
