Imperial Bladder 1 - Fluorescence COnfocal Microscopy for raPid evaluation of detrusor muscle at primary transurethraL rsEctTion of bladdEr tumours (IB1-LaserCOMPLETE)

Bladder cancer is a common condition that usually starts in the inner lining of the bladder. In most people, the cancer is superficial, meaning it sits on the surface and has not spread into the deeper muscle wall. To check and treat this, surgeons perform an operation called a TURBT (transurethral resection of bladder tumour). They pass a thin telescope into the bladder through the urethra (water pipe) to carefully trim away the tumour and send it to the laboratory.

Checking whether the cancer has reached the muscle layer is essential for choosing the best treatment, such as medications given directly into the bladder. However, in up to 30% of cases, the tissue removed does not contain any muscle. Doctors only discover this one to two weeks later when the laboratory report arrives. When this happens, patients usually have to undergo a second operation to collect the missing muscle, causing unnecessary worry and delay.

This study tests a fast, high-tech scanner called the Histolog Scanner. Right after the surgeon removes the tumour tissue, it is stained with a special dye and scanned in the operating theatre. This gives the surgical team a quick look at whether muscle is present before the patient even wakes up. If this trial shows the method works well, it could lead to larger studies and improve bladder cancer surgery across the NHS.