Two-drug therapy for advanced UC shows superior PFS
October 11th 2017Adding ramucirumab (CYRAMZA) to standard docetaxel (Taxotere) improved progression-free survival compared with docetaxel alone in patients with advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who have progressed on platinum-based chemotherapy.
Blue light cystoscopy improves bladder Ca detection
October 6th 2017Blue light flexible cystoscopy (D-Light C PDD Flexible Videoscope System) with intravesical hexaminolevulinate HCl (HAL [Cysview]) for surveillance in the office setting significantly improved the detection of recurrent bladder tumors compared with white light cystoscopy.
Genomic research may explain resistance to immunotherapy
August 18th 2017New research characterizing the molecular mechanisms regulating immune cell infiltration into the luminal subtype of muscle-invasive bladder cancer may explain resistance to treatment with immune checkpoint blockade and suggest a target for improving therapeutic response.
QoL better with bladder Ca immunotherapy vs. chemo
August 1st 2017Patients treated with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) as second-line therapy for advanced urothelial carcinoma following platinum-based chemotherapy maintain better health-related quality of life than their counterparts receiving chemotherapy, according to results from the phase III KEYNOTE-045 trial presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago.
Chemo instillation reduces bladder Ca recurrence
July 10th 2017For suspected low-grade, newly diagnosed, or occasionally recurrent bladder cancer, a single post-transurethral resection of bladder tumor instillation of gemcitabine (Gemzar) reduces bladder cancer recurrence by 47%, according to a recent study.
Robotic vs. open cystectomy: How PFS, OS compare
July 10th 2017Evaluation of upper tract surveillance for high-grade, nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer and evidence suggesting that androgen receptor activity may be related to recurrence and treatment of bladder cancer were among the take-home messages in this area from AUA 2017.
How do bladder Ca treatments compare in terms of survival?
June 9th 2017There are no notable differences in overall survival, disease-specific survival, and progression-free survival between radical cystectomy and bladder-preserving combined modality treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer, according to a recent meta-analysis.
Biomarkers for bladder cancer: Current and future
April 18th 2017The role of protein- and cell-based urinary biomarkers for bladder cancer detection and surveillance is controversial, and in 2017 these assays have yet to come into widespread use among urologists. Their uptake is expected to increase, however, considering that the AUA/Society of Urologic Oncology “Guideline on Diagnosis and Treatment of Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer” that was released in 2016 identifies situations for using urinary biomarkers, according to Badrinath R. Konety, MD.
Guidelines update: Bladder, kidney, prostate cancer
April 18th 2017This article highlights the key points of two urologic cancer guidelines (which provide evidence-based guidance) and two consensus statements (which provide consensus recommendations by a multidisciplinary panel of experts) that have been published in the past year.
Immunotherapy found efficacious as second-line therapy
March 14th 2017Results of an international randomized phase III study show that pembrolizumab (Keytruda) as second-line therapy for advanced urothelial carcinoma provided superior overall survival and a better safety profile compared with commonly used chemotherapy options.