Expert on future directions for targeted therapy in urothelial carcinoma

In this video, Surena F. Matin, MD, discusses potential future work based off the study, “Phase 1b trial evaluating tolerability and activity of targeted fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibition in localized upper tract urothelial carcinoma,” for which he served as the lead author. The phase 1b study (NCT04228042) evaluated the use of infigratinib, a fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitor, in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) with or without FGFR3 alterations. Matin is a professor of urology and surgery at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

Video Transcript:

I think there's great interest in looking at targeted therapy in the earlier stages. It's true for the FGFR inhibition, particularly for low-grade disease and upper tract cancer, because it is so enriched–possibly up to 90% of these tumors are. Less so for bladder, but there may be a role there. In terms of other targeted therapies that are very relevant for this disease, [there’s interest in] immunotherapy, particularly for those with Lynch syndrome. We do see roughly about 5% to 7% of patients who have Lynch syndrome and have upper tract urothelial cancer. There is interest in exploring that as primary therapy, and not even trying to manage them endoscopically or with surgery. So, that is an area of interest that some of us have that is being explored. There is great interest in looking at all these targeted interventions in the earlier stages to lower the burden of care that patients go through and to some degree that urologists and other health care professionals in this realm go through. Ultimately, we want to benefit patients. Everything we do has a risk effect profile, and so do these drugs. We need to carefully evaluate them as we go in the earlier stages, particularly where patients may have a lot more to lose with a serious adverse event. It just has to be done carefully.

This transcription has been edited for clarity.