Trial Offers Hope for Bladder Cancer Patients
Synopsis
Researchers said an experimental immunotherapy helped many patients avoid bladder removal in a late-stage study.
Many patients with high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) have avoided bladder removal after receiving standard treatment for the condition following a response to an investigational immunotherapy in a late-stage trial, investigators report.
The findings were from the Phase III BOND-003 trial investigating cretostimogene grenadenorepvec in bladder cancer patients who were not responding to Bacillus Calmette-Gurin (BCG) treatment.
The study involved 112 patients diagnosed with carcinoma in situ with or without papillary tumours across clinical trial sites in the US, Canada and Australia. According to investigators, 75.5% of patients treated demonstrated no evidence of cancer after treatment. 60.1% of these patients were cancer free 24 months post-treatment and 81.1% had their bladders retained 2 years post treatment.
Study Points to Bladder Preservation
The removal of the bladder surgically (radical cystectomy) is generally considered the accepted standard treatment in patients with recurrence post-BCG treatment, although it can cause long-term effects on the bladder and sexual functioning, and bladder sparing surgery is an area of continuing clinical research.
With regard to efficacy on the BOND-003 study median response duration was found to be 27.9 months at analysis. There were no adverse events deemed Grade 3 or above and related to treatment. There were no treatment related death and no treatment discontinuations. The most common adverse events experienced were common side effects such as urinary symptoms of urgency, bladder discomfort and dysuria.
Growing Global Burden
Bladder cancer remains a highly prevalent cancer worldwide and global estimates, by IARC suggest there were over 614,000 new bladder cancer cases and over 220,000 deaths in 2022. In the BOND-003 trial non-muscle invasive bladder cancer was evaluated and this comprises approximately 75% of all new bladder cancer cases.
The benefits and implications of the results are relevant in the clinical setting of both Australia and the US, for whom BCG remains the treatment of choice for the first line treatment in high-risk NMIBC. Following lack of response to BCG limited treatment options are available and removal of the bladder remains a significant option.
The trial provides further clinical data supporting bladder sparing treatment options in an appropriate group of patients who are suited for bladder sparing treatment and remain disease-free long term.
Source: Reuters
Pooja Malik is a business journalist with over six years of experience covering startups, entrepreneurship, and emerging trends. She has previously worked with leading media platforms such as YourStory Media and BW BusinessWorld, where she reported on business, policy, and market developments. Currently, she serves as Editor at The Inspirepreneur Magazine, where she writes and edits stories across business, lifestyle, and travel, with a focus on clarity, accuracy, and reader relevance.
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