A new immunotherapy helped many patients with an aggressive form of bladder cancer avoid surgical removal of their bladders in a late-stage trial.
The treatment kept many patients cancer-free for more than two years and caused mostly mild side effects, according to a report of the study in The Lancet Oncology.
The 115 patients in the study had high-risk bladder cancer that had returned despite standard treatment with bacillus Calmette-Guérin. Instead of surgery to remove the bladder – the usual next step – patients received cretostimogene grenadenorepvec, being developed by CG Oncology.
Two years later, 81% of patients had not needed surgery to remove their bladder, the researchers found.
The treatment produced a complete response, meaning no detectable signs of cancer, in 75% of the patients, with roughly 60% of those complete responses lasting beyond two years, the researchers said.
"Avoiding bladder removal can have a profound impact on daily living. Seeing patients remain cancer-free for years while keeping their bladder is exactly the outcome we've been hoping to achieve," study leader Dr. Mark Tyson of the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona said in a statement.
In one patient, the cancer has not returned for more than four years after completing treatment.
"For patients, this isn't just about treating cancer. It's about preserving quality of life," Tyson said.
