Neoadjuvant dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin with pegfilgrastim support in muscle-invasive urothelial cancer: pathologic, radiologic, and biomarker correlates

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cisplatin Based Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer

BACKGROUND

Cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy is the standard of care for muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC).

OBJECTIVE

To compare the efficacy and safety of the two most commonly used cisplatin-based regimens; gemcitabine, and cisplatin (GC) vs. accelerated (dose-dense: dd) or conventional methotrexate, vinblastine, adriamycin, and cisplatin (MVAC).

METHODS

We searched MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus and other sources. Outcomes of interest included overall survival, downstaging to pT≤1, pathologic complete response (pCR), recurrence, and toxicity. Meta-analysis was conducted using the random-effects model.

RESULTS

We identified 24 studies. Efficacy outcomes were comparable between MVAC and GC for MIBC. dd-MVAC was associated with favorable efficacy compared to GC in terms of downstaging (OR 1.45; 95%CI 1.15-1.82) and all-cause mortality at longest follow-up (OR 0.63; 95%CI 0.44-0.81). However, GC was associated with a better safety profile in terms of febrile neutropenia (OR 0.32; 95%CI 0.13-0.80), anemia (OR 0.32; 95%CI 0.18-0.54), nausea and vomiting (OR 0.27; 95%CI 0.12-0.65) compared to dd-MVAC. Compared to MVAC, patients receiving GC had an increased risk of developing grade 3-4 thrombocytopenia (OR 4.70; 95%CI 1.59-13.89) and a lower risk of nausea and vomiting (OR 0.05; 95%CI 0.01-0.31). Certainty in the estimates was very low for most outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Efficacy and safety outcomes were comparable between MVAC and GC for MIBC. Including non-peer-reviewed studies showed higher efficacy with dd-MVAC. A phase III randomized trial comparing the two regimens is needed to guide clinical practice.

Dose-Dense Methotrexate, Vinblastine, Doxorubicin, and Cisplatin or Gemcitabine and Cisplatin as Perioperative Chemotherapy for Patients With Nonmetastatic Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: Results of the GETUG-AFU V05 VESPER Trial

PURPOSE

The optimal perioperative chemotherapy regimen for patients with nonmetastatic muscle-invasive bladder cancer is not defined.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between February 2013 and March 2018, 500 patients were randomly assigned in 28 French centers and received either six cycles of dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (dd-MVAC) once every 2 weeks or four cycles of gemcitabine and cisplatin (GC) once every 3 weeks before surgery (neoadjuvant group) or after surgery (adjuvant group). We report the primary end point of the GETUG-AFU V05 VESPER trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01812369): progression-free survival (PFS) at 3 years. Secondary end points were time to progression and overall survival.

RESULTS

Four hundred thirty-seven patients (88%) received neoadjuvant chemotherapy; 60% of patients received the planned six cycles in the dd-MVAC arm, 84% received four cycles in the GC arm, and thereafter, 91% and 90% of patients underwent surgery, respectively. Organ-confined response (< ypT3N0) was observed more frequently in the dd-MVAC arm (77% v 63%, P = .001). In the adjuvant group, 40% of patients received six cycles in the dd-MVAC arm, and 81% of patients received four cycles in the GC arm. For all patients in the clinical trial, 3-year PFS was improved in the dd-MVAC arm, but the study did not meet its primary end point (3-year rate: 64% v 56%, hazard ratio [HR] = 0.77 [95% CI, 0.57 to 1.02], P = .066); nevertheless, the dd-MVAC arm was associated with a significantly longer time to progression (3-year rate: 69% v 58%, HR = 0.68 [95% CI, 0.50 to 0.93], P = .014). In the neoadjuvant group, PFS at 3 years was significantly higher in the dd-MVAC arm (66% v 56%, HR = 0.70 [95% CI, 0.51 to 0.96], P = .025).

CONCLUSION

In the VESPER trial, dd-MVAC improved 3-years PFS over GC. In the neoadjuvant group, a better bladder tumor local control and a significant improvement in 3-year PFS were observed in the dd-MVAC arm.

Pathologic Complete Response in Urothelial Carcinoma Patients Receiving Neoadjuvant Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: A Meta-Analysis

Background. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been evaluated as neoadjuvant treatment in urothelial carcinoma (UC) patients, with these agents reporting encouraging pathologic complete response (pCR) rates. Herein, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis aimed at evaluating the incidence of pCR in UC patients treated with neoadjuvant ICI. Moreover, we investigated the impact of PD-L1 expression in this patient population, exploring the possible role of PD-L1 status as predictive biomarker. Materials and Methods. We retrieved all the relevant trials through PubMed/Medline, Cochrane Library and EMBASE; moreover, proceedings of the main international oncological meetings were also searched for relevant abstracts. Eligible trials assessed pre-operative ICI in UC patients. Results. Our meta-analysis has highlighted a pooled pCR rate of 36.6% in the overall population; interestingly, pCR was higher in PD-L1 positive compared with PD-L1 negative UCs (49.5% versus 35.1%, respectively). Conclusions. Positive signals emanating from neoadjuvant immunotherapy should encourage the scientific community to persist in the long road toward finding more effective treatments for UC patients.

Prognostic Utility of MRI Features in Intradiverticular Bladder Tumor

BACKGROUND

Intradiverticular bladder tumors (IDBT) are rare but clinically important, as they are difficult to assess endoscopically due to limited anatomic access and risk of perforation. MRI may be helpful in assessing IDBT and providing relevant staging and prognostic information.

PURPOSE

To assess MRI findings of IDBT and their relationship with overall survival.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 31 consecutive patients with IDBT undergoing MRI from 2008 to 2018 identified through electronic medical records and PACS database search. Two radiologists independently assessed the following MRI features: size (>3 vs ≤3 cm), diverticular neck involvement, Vesical Imaging-Reporting and Data System (VI-RADS) score (>3 vs ≤3), perivesical fat infiltration, additional tumors and suspicious pelvic lymph nodes. Overall survival was estimated using Kaplan-Meier analysis; and the relationship with clinicopathological and MRI features was determined using the Cox proportional-hazards regression model. Inter-reader agreement was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Cohen's kappa (K).

RESULTS

Median follow-up was 1044 days (interquartile range, 474-1952 days). Twenty-six (83.9%) patients underwent surgical treatment with or without neoadjuvant chemotherapy. On MRI, greater tumor size (>3 cm), diverticular neck involvement, perivesical extension, and suspicious lymph nodes were associated with lower overall survival (HR = 3.6-8.1 and 4.3-6.3 for the 2 radiologists, p ≤ 0.03). Other clinicopathological or MRI findings were not associated with survival (p = 0.27-0.65). Inter-reader agreement was excellent for tumor size (ICC = 0.991; 95% CI 0.982-0.996), fair for VI-RADS (K = 0.52, 95% CI, 0.22-0.82), and moderate for others (K = 0.61-0.79).

CONCLUSION

In patients with IDBT, several MRI features were significantly associated with overall survival. Utilizing all available clinicopathological and imaging information may improve estimation of prognosis.

Novel Therapeutic Opportunities in Neoadjuvant Setting in Urothelial Cancers: A New Horizon Opened by Molecular Classification and Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

Muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is a widespread malignancy with a worse prognosis often related to a late diagnosis. For early-stage MIBC pts, a multidisciplinary approach is mandatory to evaluate the timing of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and surgery. The current standard therapy is platinum-based NAC (MVAC-methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin or Platinum-Gemcitabine regimens) followed by radical cystectomy (RC) with lymphadenectomy. However, preliminary data from Vesper trial highlighted that dose-dense NAC MVAC is endowed with a good pathological response but shows low tolerability. In the last few years, translational-based research approaches have identified several candidate biomarkers of NAC esponsiveness, such as ERCC2, ERBB2, or DNA damage response (DDR) gene alterations. Moreover, the recent consensus MIBC molecular classification identified six molecular subtypes, characterized by different sensitivity to chemo- or targeted or immunotherapy, that could open a novel procedure for patient selection and also for neoadjuvant therapies. The Italian PURE-01 phase II Trial extended data on efficacy and resistance to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICIs) in this setting. In this review, we summarize the most relevant literature data supporting NAC use in MIBC, focusing on novel therapeutic strategies such as immunotherapy, considering the better patient stratification and selection emerging from novel molecular classification.

Refining neoadjuvant therapy clinical trial design for muscle-invasive bladder cancer before cystectomy: a joint US Food and Drug Administration and Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network workshop

The success of the use of novel therapies in the treatment of advanced urothelial carcinoma has contributed to growing interest in evaluating these therapies at earlier stages of the disease. However, trials evaluating these therapies in the neoadjuvant setting must have clearly defined study elements and appropriately selected end points to ensure the applicability of the trial and enable interpretation of the study results. To advance the development of rational trial design, a public workshop jointly sponsored by the US Food and Drug Administration and the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network convened in August 2019. Clinicians, clinical trialists, radiologists, biostatisticians, patients, advocates and other stakeholders discussed key elements and end points when designing trials of neoadjuvant therapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), identifying opportunities to refine eligibility, design and end points for neoadjuvant trials in MIBC. Although pathological complete response (pCR) is already being used as a co-primary end point, both individual-level and trial-level surrogacy for time-to-event end points, such as event-free survival or overall survival, remain incompletely characterized in MIBC. Additionally, use of pCR is limited by heterogeneity in pathological evaluation and the fact that the magnitude of pCR improvement that might translate into a meaningful clinical benefit remains unclear. Given existing knowledge gaps, capture of highly granular patient-related, tumour-related and treatment-related characteristics in the current generation of neoadjuvant MIBC trials will be critical to informing the design of future trials.

Identification of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Response in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer by Fourier-Transform Infrared Micro-Imaging

Simple Summary

Assessing the tumor response to chemotherapy is a paramount predictive step to improve patient care. Infrared spectroscopy probes the chemical composition of samples, and in combination with statistical multivariate processing, presents the capacity to highlight subtle molecular alterations associated with malignancy characteristics. Microscopic infrared imaging of tissue samples reveals spectral heterogeneity within histological structures, providing a new approach to characterize tumoral heterogeneity. We have taken advantage of the analytical capabilities of mid-infrared spectral imaging to implement a classification model to predict the response of a tumor to chemotherapy. Our development was demonstrated in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) by comparing samples from responders and non-responders to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Abstract

Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) improves survival in responder patients. However, for non-responders, the treatment represents an ineffective exposure to chemotherapy and its potential adverse events. Predicting the response to treatment is a major issue in the therapeutic management of patients, particularly for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Methods: Tissue samples of trans-urethral resection of bladder tumor collected at the diagnosis time, were analyzed by mid-infrared imaging. A sequence of spectral data processing was implemented for automatic recognition of informative pixels and scoring each pixel according to a continuous scale (from 0 to 10) associated with the response to NAC. The ground truth status of the responder or non-responder was based on histopathological examination of the samples. Results: Although the TMA spots of tumors appeared histologically homogeneous, the infrared approach highlighted spectral heterogeneity. Both the quantification of this heterogeneity and the scoring of the NAC response at the pixel level were used to construct sensitivity and specificity maps from which decision criteria can be extracted to classify cancerous samples. Conclusions: This proof-of-concept appears as the first to evaluate the potential of the mid-infrared approach for the prediction of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in MIBC tissues.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for bladder cancer between ddMVAC and GC regimen

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this systematic literature review and meta-analysis was to compare the pathological response rate and prognosis of the dose dense Methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin and cisplatin (ddMVAC) regimen and gemcitabine and cisplatin (GC) regimen as neoadjuvant chemotherapy choices for bladder cancer.

METHODS

A literature review of articles published before February 28, 2021, was conducted using the PubMed, Web of Sciences and Embase databases. Data for comparison included pathological response rate and overall survival.

RESULTS

Five studies including 1,206 patients were identified and assessed for the meta-analysis. The pooled analysis yielded an odds ratio value of 1.29 (95% CI, 0.86-1.92) with a downstaging rate and an odds ratio value of 1.57 (95% CI, 1.10-2.25) with a complete response rate when comparing ddMVAC with the GC regimen. The pooled analysis yielded a hazard ratio of 0.47 (95% CI, 0.30-0.72) with regard to overall survival between the two regimens.

CONCLUSION

Compared with the GC regimen, ddMVAC has a better pathological response rate, especially the complete response rate, and provides longer overall survival as a neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimen for bladder cancer.

Management of Localized Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer from a Multidisciplinary Perspective: Current Position of the Spanish Oncology Genitourinary (SOGUG) Working Group

This review presents challenges and recommendations on different aspects related to the management of patients with localized muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), which were discussed by a group of experts of a Spanish Oncology Genitourinary (SOGUG) Working Group within the framework of the Genitourinary Alliance project (12GU). It is necessary to clearly define which patients are candidates for radical cystectomy and which are candidates for undergoing bladder-sparing procedures. In older patients, it is necessary to include a geriatric assessment and evaluation of comorbidities. The pathological report should include a classification of the histopathological variant of MIBC, particularly the identification of subtypes with prognostic, molecular and therapeutic implications. Improvement of clinical staging, better definition of prognostic groups based on molecular subtypes, and identification of biomarkers potentially associated with maximum benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy are areas for further research. A current challenge in the management of MIBC is improving the selection of patients likely to be candidates for immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors in the neoadjuvant setting. Optimization of FDG-PET/CT reliability in staging of MIBC and the selection of patients is necessary, as well as the design of prospective studies aimed to compare the value of different imaging techniques in parallel.

Avelumab as neoadjuvant therapy in patients with urothelial non-metastatic muscle invasive bladder cancer: a multicenter, randomized, non-comparative, phase II study (Oncodistinct 004 - AURA trial)

Introduction

Cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by surgery is the standard treatment for patients with non-metastatic muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Unfortunately, many patients are not candidates to receive cisplatin due to renal impairment. Additionally, no predictive biomarkers for pathological complete response (pCR) are currently validated in clinical practice. Studies evaluating immune checkpoint inhibitors in the peri-operative setting are emerging with promising results. Clinical trials are clearly required in the neoadjuvant setting in order to improve therapeutic strategies.

Methods and analysis

Oncodistinct 004 – AURA is an ongoing multicenter phase II randomized trial assessing the efficacy and safety of avelumab single-agent or combined to different NAC regimens in patients with non-metastatic MIBC. Patients are enrolled in two distinct cohorts according to their eligibility to receive cisplatin-based NAC. In the cisplatin eligible cohort, patients are randomized in a 1:1 fashion to receive avelumab combined with cisplatin-gemcitabine or with dose-dense methotrexate-vinblastine-doxorubicin-cisplatin. In the cisplatin ineligible cohort, patients are randomized at a 1:1 ratio to paclitaxel-gemcitabine associated to avelumab or avelumab alone. Primary endpoint is pCR. Secondary endpoints are pathological response and safety.

Ethics and dissemination

The study is approved by ethics committee from all participating centers. All participants provide informed consent prior inclusion to the study. Once completed, results will be published in peer-reviewed journals.

Trial registration number

ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03674424).

The effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy among patients undergoing radical cystectomy for variant histology bladder cancer: A systematic review

Objective

To systematically review the evidence about the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) with pure urothelial carcinoma (pUC) in radical cystectomy (RC) candidates affected by variant histology (VH) bladder cancer.

Methods

A review of the current literature was conducted through the Medline and National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) PubMed, Scopus databases in May 2020. The updated Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed for this systematic review. Keywords used were ‘bladder cancer’, ‘bladder carcinoma’, ‘bladder tumour’ and ‘bladder cancer variants’ and ‘neoadjuvant chemotherapy’. Only original articles in English published after 2000 and reporting oncological outcomes a series of more than five patients with VH were included. We excluded series in which the oncological outcomes of patients with pUC and VH were undistinguishable.

Results

The literature search identified 2231 articles. A total of 51 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility, with 17 eventually considered for systematic review, for a cohort of 450,367 patients, of which 5010 underwent NAC + RC. The median age at initial diagnosis ranged from 61 to 71 years. Most patients received cisplatin-gemcitabine, methotrexate-vinblastine-adriamycin-cisplatin, or carboplatin-based chemotherapy. Only one study reported results of neoadjuvant immunotherapy. The median follow-up ranged from 1 to 120 months. The results showed that squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is less sensitive to NAC than pUC and that SCC predicts poorer prognosis. NAC was found to be a valid approach in treating small cell carcinoma and may have potential benefit in micropapillary carcinoma.

Conclusions

NAC showed the best oncological outcomes in small cell variants and micropapillary carcinoma, while NAC survival benefit for SCC and adenocarcinoma variants needs further studies. Drawing definite considerations on the efficacy of NAC in VH is complicated due to the heterogeneity of present literature. Present results need to be confirmed in randomised controlled trials.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with dose dense MVAC is associated with improved survival after radical cystectomy compared to other cytotoxic regimens: A tertiary center experience

INTRODUCTION

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has become standard of care for cisplatin-eligible patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer qualified to radical cystectomy, providing a modest increase in 5-year overall survival rate. Several regimens are being employed for neoadjuvant treatment, largely because of their efficacy in metastatic setting. There is however a scarcity of evidence on the optimal cytotoxic regimen for neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVES

We evaluated the efficacy of different protocols of neoadjuvant chemotherapy amongst patients who underwent radical cystectomy at our institution.

METHODS

This is a single-center, retrospective, observational study including a cohort of 220 patients who underwent radical cystectomy between 2014 and 2020. The neoadjuvant chemotherapy cohort included 79 patients and was compared to the cohort of historical controls including 141 patients operated prior to routine administration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and those who opted for upfront surgery.

RESULTS

Administration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy decreased the risk of overall and cancer-specific mortality HR = 0.625 (95% CI 0.414-0.944), p = 0.025 and HR = 0.579 (95% CI 0.348-0.964), p = 0.036. Rates of downstaging, complete responses, lymph node metastasis, extravesical extension and positive surgical margins significantly favored neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Out of cytotoxic regimens, dose-dense MVAC and gemcitabine-cisplatin were similarly efficacious providing 46.9% and 50% of downstaging to <ypT2N0 respectively, including 30.6% and 25% of complete remissions. However, only dose-dense MVAC was associated with reduction of all-cause and cancer specific mortality risk HR = 0.385 (95% CI 0.214-0.691) p = 0.001 and HR = 0.336 (95% CI 0.160-0.703), p = 0.004 respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study implies that neoadjuvant chemotherapy with subsequent radical cystectomy provides significant improvement over upfront surgery in locoregional control and long-term prognosis of muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The urologic community should strive to maximize utilization of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, yet further research, including randomized control trials, is needed to validate superiority of dose-dense MVAC as the preferred regimen for cisplatin-eligible patients.

Molecular markers of systemic therapy response in urothelial carcinoma

Identification of reliable molecular biomarkers that can complement clinical practice represents a fascinating challenge in any cancer field. Urothelial carcinoma is a very heterogeneous disease and responses to systemic therapies, and outcomes after radical cystectomy are difficult to predict. Advances in molecular biology such as next generation sequencing and whole genome or transcriptomic analysis provide promising platforms to achieve a full understanding of the biology behind the disease and can identify emerging predictive biomarkers. Moreover, the ability to categorize patients' risk of recurrence after curative treatment, or even predict benefit from a conventional or targeted therapies, represents a compelling challenge that may reshape both selection for tailored treatment and disease monitoring. Progress has been made but currently no molecular biomarkers are used in the clinical setting to predict response to systemic agents in either neoadjuvant or adjuvant settings highlighting a relevant unmet need. Here, we aim to present the emerging role of molecular biomarkers in predicting response to systemic agents in urothelial carcinoma.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibition vs. cisplatin-based chemotherapy in muscle invasive bladder cancer

BACKGROUND

Multiple single-arm clinical trials showed promising pathologic complete response rates with neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in muscle-invasive bladder cancer. We conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis comparing neoadjuvant ICIs with cisplatin-based chemotherapy (CBC).

METHODS

We applied a decision analytic simulation model with a health care payer perspective to compare neoadjuvant ICIs vs. CBC. For the primary analysis we compared pembrolizumab with ddMVAC. We performed a secondary analysis with gemcitabine/cisplatin as CBC and exploratory analyses with atezolizumab or nivolumab/ipilimumab as ICI. We input pathologic complete response rates from trials or meta-analysis and costs from average sales price. Outcomes of interest included costs, 2-year recurrence-free survival (RFS), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of cost per 2-year RFS. A threshold analysis estimated a price reduction for ICI to be cost-effective and one-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed.

RESULTS

The incremental cost of pembrolizumab compared with ddMVAC was $8,041 resulting in an incremental improvement of 1.5% in 2-year RFS for an ICER of $522,143 per 2-year RFS. A 21% reduction in cost of pembrolizumab would render it more cost-effective with an ICER of $100,000 per 2-year RFS. GC required an 89% pembrolizumab cost reduction to achieve an ICER of $100,000 per 2-year RFS. Atezolizumab appeared to be more cost-effective than ddMVAC.

CONCLUSIONS

ICIs were not cost-effective as neoadjuvant therapies, except when atezolizumab was compared with ddMVAC. Randomized clinical trials, larger sample sizes and longer follow-up are required to better understand the value of ICIs as neoadjuvant treatments.

Chemotherapy for Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer: Impact of Cisplatin Delivery on Renal Function and Local Control Rate in the Randomized Phase III VESPER (GETUG-AFU V05) Trial

BACKGROUND

Cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy before surgery is the standard of care for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. However, the optimal chemotherapy modalities have not been precisely defined to date.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In the VESPER trial, patients received after randomization either gemcitabine and cisplatin (GC, 4 cycles) or methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin and cisplatin (dose dense [dd]-MVAC, 6 cycles). Creatinine clearance (CrCl) was calculated before each cycle according to the Cockroft and Gault formula. Definition criteria for local control after neoadjuvant chemotherapy included pathological complete response (ypT0N0), pathological downstaging (<ypT2N0) and organ-confined disease (<ypT3N0) at cystectomy. Baseline and treatment characteristics were studied in multivariate logistic models to determine their potential role for each type of pathological responses.

RESULTS

A total of 2128 cycles of chemotherapy were delivered, including 2120 (99.6%) with cisplatin. Full doses of cisplatin were given in 1866 (88%) cycles. Twenty-three (4.7%) patients had to stop chemotherapy (12 GC, 11 dd-MVAC) because of renal failure. No difference in CrCl median values was observed between the 2 regimens during the first 4 cycles. A mild decrease occurred thereafter in patients treated with 2 additional cycles of dd-MVAC. A minimum total dose of 270 mg/m² for cisplatin was mandatory to optimize pathological complete responses.

CONCLUSION

At least 4 cycles of cisplatin-based chemotherapy should be delivered before cystectomy. Increasing the number of cycles beyond 4 cycles does not lead to a clinically significant deterioration in renal function but without obvious gain on local control.

Identification of CNGB1 as a Predictor of Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer

Simple Summary

Chemotherapy is recommended prior to surgical removal of the bladder for muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients. Despite a survival benefit, some patients do not respond and experience substantial toxicity and delay in surgery. Therefore, the identification of chemotherapy responders before initiating therapy would be a helpful clinical asset. To date, there are no reliable biomarkers routinely used in clinical practice that identify patients most likely to benefit from chemotherapy and their identification is urgently required for more precise delivery of care. To address this issue, we compared gene expression profiles of biopsy materials from 30 chemotherapy-responder and -non-responder patients. This analysis revealed a novel signature gene set and CNGB1 as a simpler proxy as a promising biomarker to predict chemoresponsiveness of muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients. Our findings require further validation in larger patient cohorts and in a clinical trial setting.

Abstract

Cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is recommended prior to radical cystectomy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) patients. Despite a 5–10% survival benefit, some patients do not respond and experience substantial toxicity and delay in surgery. To date, there are no clinically approved biomarkers predictive of response to NAC and their identification is urgently required for more precise delivery of care. To address this issue, a multi-methods analysis approach of machine learning and differential gene expression analysis was undertaken on a cohort of 30 MIBC cases highly selected for an exquisitely strong response to NAC or marked resistance and/or progression (discovery cohort). RGIFE (ranked guided iterative feature elimination) machine learning algorithm, previously demonstrated to have the ability to select biomarkers with high predictive power, identified a 9-gene signature (CNGB1, GGH, HIST1H4F, IDO1, KIF5A, MRPL4, NCDN, PRRT3, SLC35B3) able to select responders from non-responders with 100% predictive accuracy. This novel signature correlated with overall survival in meta-analysis performed using published NAC treated-MIBC microarray data (validation cohort 1, n = 26, Log rank test, p = 0.02). Corroboration with differential gene expression analysis revealed cyclic nucleotide-gated channel, CNGB1, as the top ranked upregulated gene in non-responders to NAC. A higher CNGB1 immunostaining score was seen in non-responders in tissue microarray analysis of the discovery cohort (n = 30, p = 0.02). Kaplan-Meier analysis of a further cohort of MIBC patients (validation cohort 2, n = 99) demonstrated that a high level of CNGB1 expression associated with shorter cancer specific survival (p < 0.001). Finally, in vitro studies showed siRNA-mediated CNGB1 knockdown enhanced cisplatin sensitivity of MIBC cell lines, J82 and 253JB-V. Overall, these data reveal a novel signature gene set and CNGB1 as a simpler proxy as a promising biomarker to predict chemoresponsiveness of MIBC patients.

Referral for "Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy" for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer to a Multidisciplinary Board: Patterns, Management and Outcomes

Background

Utilization of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for the treatment of muscle invasive bladder cancer in everyday practice differs from that of clinical trials. We describe the patterns of referral for “neoadjuvant chemotherapy”, treatment and outcomes in a multidisciplinary tumor board.

Methods

This was an observational study. Patients referred for neoadjuvant chemotherapy received 4 cycles of dose-dense gemcitabine/cisplatin and were then assessed for definitive local therapy. Patients had a minimum follow-up of 2 years. Primary objective was a 3-year disease-free survival rate.

Results

Forty-six patients (clinical stages II: 28, IIIA: 9, IIIB: 4, IVA: 3, missing: 2) were included. Following chemotherapy, 30 underwent radical cystectomy, 8 radiotherapy and 8 no further therapy. Pathological downstaging was observed in 14 (46.6%) of the 30 patients who underwent radical cystectomy; clinical TNM staging was correlated with disease-free survival in the whole population, while clinical and pathological stages, as well as pathological downstaging, were correlated with disease-free survival in patients undergoing radical cystectomy. Three-year disease-free survival rates for the whole cohort and for patients undergoing radical cystectomy were 67.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 51–79.2) and 65.2 (95% CI: 44.9–79.6), respectively.

Conclusion

Real-world muscle invasive bladder cancer patients who receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy are characterized by more advanced diseases and less frequent radical surgery than those included in clinical trials. Nevertheless, outcomes were comparable and, therefore, offering patients with stage II–IVA muscle invasive bladder cancer neoadjuvant chemotherapy after assessment by multidisciplinary tumor boards should be strongly encouraged.

DNA damage repair: historical perspectives, mechanistic pathways and clinical translation for targeted cancer therapy

Genomic instability is the hallmark of various cancers with the increasing accumulation of DNA damage. The application of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in cancer treatment is typically based on this property of cancers. However, the adverse effects including normal tissues injury are also accompanied by the radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Targeted cancer therapy has the potential to suppress cancer cells' DNA damage response through tailoring therapy to cancer patients lacking specific DNA damage response functions. Obviously, understanding the broader role of DNA damage repair in cancers has became a basic and attractive strategy for targeted cancer therapy, in particular, raising novel hypothesis or theory in this field on the basis of previous scientists' findings would be important for future promising druggable emerging targets. In this review, we first illustrate the timeline steps for the understanding the roles of DNA damage repair in the promotion of cancer and cancer therapy developed, then we summarize the mechanisms regarding DNA damage repair associated with targeted cancer therapy, highlighting the specific proteins behind targeting DNA damage repair that initiate functioning abnormally duo to extrinsic harm by environmental DNA damage factors, also, the DNA damage baseline drift leads to the harmful intrinsic targeted cancer therapy. In addition, clinical therapeutic drugs for DNA damage and repair including therapeutic effects, as well as the strategy and scheme of relative clinical trials were intensive discussed. Based on this background, we suggest two hypotheses, namely "environmental gear selection" to describe DNA damage repair pathway evolution, and "DNA damage baseline drift", which may play a magnified role in mediating repair during cancer treatment. This two new hypothesis would shed new light on targeted cancer therapy, provide a much better or more comprehensive holistic view and also promote the development of new research direction and new overcoming strategies for patients.

Perioperative Systemic Treatment for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: Current Evidence and Future Perspectives

Radical cystectomy is the primary treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer; however, approximately 50% of patients develop metastatic disease within 2 years of diagnosis, which results in dismal prognosis. Therefore, systemic treatment is important to improve the prognosis of muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Currently, several guidelines recommend cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy before radical cystectomy, and adjuvant chemotherapy is recommended in patients who have not received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have recently become the standard treatment option for metastatic urothelial carcinoma. Owing to their clinical benefits, several immune checkpoint inhibitors, with or without other agents (including other immunotherapy, cytotoxic chemotherapy, and emerging agents such as antibody drug conjugates), are being extensively investigated in perioperative settings. Several studies for perioperative immunotherapy have shown that immune checkpoint inhibitors have promising efficacy with relatively low toxicity, and have explored the predictive molecular biomarkers. Herein, we review the current evidence and discuss the future perspectives of perioperative systemic treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

[French ccAFU guidelines - update 2020-2022: bladder cancer]

OBJECTIVE

- To update French guidelines for the management of bladder cancer specifically non-muscle invasive (NMIBC) and muscle-invasive bladder cancers (MIBC).

METHODS

- A Medline search was achieved between 2018 and 2020, notably regarding diagnosis, options of treatment and follow-up of bladder cancer, to evaluate different references with levels of evidence.

RESULTS

- Diagnosis of NMIBC (Ta, T1, CIS) is based on a complete deep resection of the tumor. The use of fluorescence and a second-look indication are essential to improve initial diagnosis. Risks of both recurrence and progression can be estimated using the EORTC score. A stratification of patients into low, intermediate and high risk groups is pivotal for recommending adjuvant treatment: instillation of chemotherapy (immediate post-operative, standard schedule) or intravesical BCG (standard schedule and maintenance). Cystectomy is recommended in BCG-refractory patients. Extension evaluation of MIBC is based on contrast-enhanced pelvic-abdominal and thoracic CT-scan. Multiparametric MRI can be an alternative. Cystectomy associated with extended lymph nodes dissection is considered the gold standard for non-metastatic MIBC. It should be preceded by cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in eligible patients. An orthotopic bladder substitution should be proposed to both male and female patients with no contraindication and in cases of negative frozen urethral samples; otherwise transileal ureterostomy is recommended as urinary diversion. All patients should be included in an Early Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol. For metastatic MIBC, first-line chemotherapy using platin is recommended (GC or MVAC), when performans status (PS <1) and renal function (creatinine clearance >60 mL/min) allow it (only in 50% of cases). In second line treatment, immunotherapy with pembrolizumab demonstrated a significant improvement in overall survival.

CONCLUSION

- These updated French guidelines will contribute to increase the level of urological care for the diagnosis and treatment of patients diagnosed with NMIBC and MIBC.

Prophylaxis and treatment strategies for optimizing chemotherapy relative dose intensity

INTRODUCTION

A decrease in relative-dose intensity (RDI) of chemotherapy has been shown to be associated with poor patient outcomes in solid tumors and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The actual delivered chemotherapy dose received by patients can be influenced by dose reductions and treatment delays, often due to toxicities, most commonly chemotherapy-induced neutropenia (CIN).

AREAS COVERED

We review seminal evidence and more recent studies that have shown an association between higher RDI and improved patient survival. A smaller number of studies has shown no association between RDI and outcomes. These differences may be due to study limitations, including low power, differences in patient and disease characteristics, or the chemotherapeutic regimen. We describe guidelines recommendations to prevent and treat CIN with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) and describe novel approaches to prevent neutropenia that are being developed that may provide greater value and be associated with fewer adverse events than standard G-CSF options.

EXPERT OPINION

Maintaining RDI is important to ensure optimal patient outcomes. This can be achieved through the proper administration of G-CSF prophylaxis and treatment. Newer agents in development to treat and/or prevent CIN are entering regulatory review and may potentially change the treatment landscape for CIN in the future.

An economic analysis comparing health care resource use and cost of dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin versus gemcitabine and cisplatin as neoadjuvant therapy for muscle invasive bladder cancer

PURPOSE

To compare healthcare resource utilization (HRU) and costs associated with dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, cisplatin (ddMVAC) and gemcitabine, cisplatin (GC) as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC).

METHODS

Patient treated at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute from 2010 to 2019 were identified. HRU data on chemotherapy administered, supportive medications, patient monitoring, clinic, infusion, emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalization were collected retrospectively. Unit costs for HRU components were obtained from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Website and HRU was compared between groups using quantile regression analysis.

RESULTS

137 patients were included; 51 received ddMVAC and 86 GC. Baseline characteristics were similar, except lower mean age (P < 0.001) and higher proportion of ECOG-PS = 0 (P < 0.001) for ddMVAC. ddMVAC required more granulocyte-colony stimulating factor support (P < 0.001), central line placement (P = 0.017), cardiac imaging (P < 0.001), and infusion visits (P < 0.001), whereas GC required more clinic visits. ED visits were higher for ddMVAC (P = 0.048), while chemotherapy cycle delays and hospitalization days were higher for GC (P = 0.008). After adjusting for ECOG-PS and age, the cost per patient was approximately 41% lower (95%CI: 28% to 52%; P < 0.001) for GC vs. ddMVAC, which translated to a median adjusted cost savings of $7,410 (95%CI: $5,474-$9,347) per patient.

CONCLUSIONS

Although excess HRU did not clearly favor one regimen, adjusting for PS and age indicated lower costs with GC vs. ddMVAC. Given the similar cumulative cisplatin delivery with both regimens, the associated values and costs supports the preferential selection of GC in the neoadjuvant setting of MIBC.

Comparison of Oncologic Outcomes of Dose-Dense Methotrexate, Vinblastine, Doxorubicin, and Cisplatin (ddMVAC) with Gemcitabine and Cisplatin (GC) as Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Simple Summary

Currently, platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is becoming a standard treatment for use in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. However, comparisons of oncologic outcomes for the two most commonly used NAC regimens, ddMVAC (dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin) and GC (gemcitabine and cisplatin), are controversial. We sought to compare the oncologic outcomes of these two regimens via a systematic review and meta-analysis of all the available studies published to date. Through this, we aimed to provide evidence on the optimal NAC regimen for use in muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Abstract

Platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is widely used for treating muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). A systematic review was performed following PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched up to December 2020. We conducted a meta-analysis to compare the oncologic outcomes of ddMVAC (dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin) and GC (gemcitabine and cisplatin), which are the most widely used NAC regimens. Endpoints included pathologic complete response (pCR), pathologic downstaging (pDS), overall survival (OS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS). Five studies, with a total of 1206 patients, were included for meta-analysis. pCR was observed in 35.2% of the ddMVAC arm and in 25.1% of the GC arm, and pCR was significantly higher in ddMVAC than in GC (odds ratio (OR), 1.45; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.11–1.89; p = 0.006). There was no significant difference in pDS (OR, 1.37; CI, 0.84–2.21; p = 0.20). OS was significantly higher in ddMVAC than in GC (hazard ratio, 2.16; CI, 1.42–3.29; p = 0.0004). Only one study reported CSS outcomes. The results of this analysis indicate that ddMVAC is superior to GC in terms of pCR and OS, suggesting that ddMVAC is more effective than GC in NAC for MIBC. However, this should be interpreted with caution because of the inherent limitations of retrospective studies.

A Randomized Phase II Study of Coexpression Extrapolation (COXEN) with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Bladder Cancer (SWOG S1314; NCT02177695)

PURPOSE

Dose-dense methotrexate-vinblastine-adriamycin-cisplatin (ddMVAC) and gemcitabine-cisplatin (GC) are accepted neoadjuvant regimens for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The aim of this study was to validate the score from a coexpression extrapolation (COXEN) algorithm-generated gene expression model (GEM) as a biomarker in patients undergoing radical cystectomy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Eligibility included cT2-T4a N0 M0, urothelial bladder cancer, ≥ 5 mm of viable tumor, cisplatin eligible, with plan for cystectomy; 237 patients were randomized between ddMVAC, given every 14 days for four cycles, and GC, given every 21 days for four cycles. The primary objective assessed prespecified dichotomous treatment-specific COXEN score as predictive of pT0 rate or ≤ pT1 (downstaging) at surgery.

RESULTS

Among 167 evaluable patients, the OR for pT0 with the GC GEM score in GC-treated patients was 2.63 [P = 0.10; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.82-8.36]; for the ddMVAC COXEN GEM score with ddMVAC treatment, the OR was 1.12 (P = 0.82, 95% CI, 0.42-2.95). The GC GEM score was applied to pooled arms (GC and ddMVAC) for downstaging with an OR of 2.33 (P = 0.02; 95% CI, 1.11-4.89). In an intention-to-treat analysis of eligible patients (n = 227), pT0 rates for ddMVAC and GC were 28% and 30% (P = 0.75); downstaging was 47% and 40% (P = 0.27), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment-specific COXEN scores were not significantly predictive for response to individual chemotherapy treatment. The COXEN GEM GC score was significantly associated with downstaging in the pooled arms. Additional biomarker development is planned.

Optimal pathological response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer: results from a global, multicentre collaboration

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate outcomes of patients achieving a post-treatment pathological stage of <ypT2N0 at radical cystectomy (RC) following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) to identify an optimal definition of pathological response.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients from 10 international centres who underwent NAC for cT2-4aN0-1 MIBC and achieved <ypT2N0 disease at RC were included. The primary outcome was time to recurrence, either local or distant. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to evaluate associations between clinicopathological variables and outcomes.

RESULTS

A total of 625 patients were included. The median age was 66 years and 80% were male. Gemcitabine and cisplatin (GC, 56%) and methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin and cisplatin (MVAC)/dose-dense (dd)MVAC (32%) were the most common NAC regimens. ypT0, pure ypTis, ypTa ±ypTis and ypT1 ± ypTis were attained in 58.1%, 20.0%, 7.6% and 14.2% of patients, respectively. The cumulative incidence of recurrence at 5 years was 9%, 16%, 29% and 30%, respectively. Pathological stage was prognostic for recurrence, with ypTa ± Tis (hazard ratio [HR] 3.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.40-7.30) and ypT1 ± Tis disease (HR 4.03, 95% CI 2.13-7.63) associated with a significantly higher recurrence risk. Pure ypTis (HR 1.66, 95% CI 0.82-3.38) and the type of NAC regimen (ddMVAC: HR 1.59, 95% CI 0.55-4.56; MVAC: HR 1.18, 9%% CI 0.25-5.54; reference: GC) were not associated with recurrence.

CONCLUSION

We propose that optimal pathological response after NAC be defined as attainment of ypT0N0/ypTisN0 at RC. Patients with ypTaN0 or ypT1N0 disease (with or without Tis) at RC displayed a significantly higher risk of recurrence and may be candidates for trials investigating adjuvant therapy.

Comparison of clinical outcomes in patients with localized or locally advanced urothelial carcinoma treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy involving gemcitabine-cisplatin and high dose-intensity MVAC

PURPOSE

To compare the efficacy and safety of high dose-intensity combination of methotrexate, vinblastine, adriamycin and cisplatin (HD MVAC) with gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GC) as a neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) or locally advanced upper tract urothelial cancer (UTUC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A retrospective analysis was conducted for patients with UC (cT2-4aN0-1M0) who received NAC from January 2011 and December 2017 at Asan Medical Center. Pathologic complete response (pCR), down-staging (< ypT2 and no N upstaging), disease-free survival (DFS), OS and safety were compared for each regimen.

RESULTS

Out of a total of 277 patients, 176 patients received GC and 41 patients received HD MVAC. With the exception of age (patients receiving HD MVAC were younger; p = 0.002), other baseline characteristics were well balanced between groups. pCR rates were 27.0% for GC and 22.6% for HD MVAC (p = 0.62), and down-staging rate was 50.8% for GC and 58.1% for HD MVAC (p = 0.47). There were no differences in OS (72.1% vs 73.1% for GC vs HD MVAC; p = 0.58) and DFS (54.9% vs 63.3% for GC vs HD MVAC; p = 0.21) at 3 years. HD MVAC with prophylactic G-CSF was associated with a higher incidence of febrile neutropenia (p < 0.001) than GC. The NAC regimen was not an independent prognostic factor for OS.

CONCLUSION

Oncologic outcomes were not significantly different between the GC and HD MVAC when used as NAC in MIBC/UTUC.

A Single-arm Phase II Trial of Neoadjuvant Cabazitaxel and Cisplatin Chemotherapy for Muscle-Invasive Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Urinary Bladder

INTRODUCTION

Neoadjuvant cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy improves survival in muscle-invasive bladder cancer. However, response rates and survival remain suboptimal. We evaluated the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of cisplatin plus cabazitaxel.

METHODS

A phase II single-arm trial was designed to recruit at least 26 evaluable patients. This would give 80% power to detect the primary endpoint, an objective response rate defined as a pathologic complete response plus partial response (pathologic downstaging), measured by pathologic staging at cystectomy (p₀ = 0.35 and p₁ = 0.60, α = 0.05).

RESULTS

Objective response was seen in 15 of 26 evaluable patients (57.7%) and more than one- third of patients achieved a pathologic complete response (9/26; 34.6%). Seventy-eight percent of the patients (21/27) completed all cycles of treatment, with only 6.7% of the reported adverse events being graded 3 or 4. There were 6 treatment-related serious adverse event reported, but no suspected unexpected serious adverse reactions. In the patients who achieved an objective response, the median progression-free survival and overall survival were not reached (median follow-up of 41.5 months). In contrast, the median progression-free survival (7.2 months) and overall survival (16.9 months) were significantly worse (P = .001, log-rank) in patients who did not achieve an objective response.

CONCLUSION

Cabazitaxel plus cisplatin for neoadjuvant treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer can be considered a well-tolerated and effective regimen before definitive therapy with higher rates (57.7%) of objective response, comparing favorably to that with of cisplatin/gemcitabine (23%-26%). These results warrant further evaluation in a phase III study.

Role of immunotherapy in bladder cancer

The role of immunotherapy in bladder urothelial cancers is rapidly expanding. Since the initial second-line therapy approval for patients who fail prior platinum-based chemotherapy, the use of immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors has been rapidly evolving. There are approved indications for first-line metastatic disease in the platinum-ineligible patients or the cisplatin-ineligible PD-L1 positive patients, and there is a label for high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer who are BCG-refractory. In addition, a trial on maintenance immunotherapy with avelumab showed positive findings with improvement in overall survival that has also changed standard of care for these patients. There are ongoing clinical trials evaluating its use in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant perioperative muscle-invasive bladder cancer setting. The pivotal trials that led to these FDA approvals and promising and ongoing trials are discussed herein.

Recent advances in neoadjuvant immunotherapy for urothelial bladder cancer: What to expect in the near future

Urothelial bladder cancer (UC) is the most common malignancy involving the urinary system and represents a significant health problem. Immunotherapy has been used for decades for UC with intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) set as the standard of care for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). The advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has completely transformed the treatment landscape of bladder cancer enabling to expand the treatment strategies. Novel ICIs have successfully shown improved outcomes on metastatic disease to such an extent that the standard of care paradigm has changed leading to the development of different trials with the aim of determining whether ICIs may have a role in early disease. The localized muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) scenario remains challenging since the recurrence rate continues to be high despite all therapeutic efforts. This article will review the current experience of ICIs in the neoadjuvant setting of UC, the clinical trials landscape and finally, an insight of what to expect in the immediate and mid-term future.

Etiology of Treatment Delays in Patients Receiving Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) prior to radical cystectomy (RC) improves overall survival in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), but successful completion rates of NAC are low. A retrospective analysis was undertaken to determine the etiology of deviations of NAC administration for MIBC. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of MIBC patients in an institutional database who received NAC followed by RC from 2008 to 2016. Patients were characterized as having completed NAC without deviation (“No Deviation”) or with deviation (“Deviation”). Factors associated with “Deviation” were assessed with logistic regression models. RESULTS: 172 MIBC patients received NAC followed by RC; 49 were excluded due to incomplete NAC data. Of the remaining 123 patients, 80 (65%) received Gemcitabine and Cisplatin (GC) and 25 (20%) received dose-dense MVAC (ddMVAC). In all, 85 (69%) patients had “Deviation” in planned NAC administration, while the remaining 38 (31%) patients had “No Deviation.” Twenty-six (33%) of GC patients experienced delays (mean = 21.5±17.0 days) and 6 (24%) ddMVAC patients experienced delays (mean = 10.5±9.5 days). Receipt of GC was associated with higher likelihood of “Deviation” in comparison to ddMVAC (OR = 15.4; 95% CI 4.43–53.72, p < 0.01), and administration of NAC at our institution was associated with lower likelihood of “Deviation” in comparison to receipt in the community (OR = 0.25; 95% CI 0.25–0.72, p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Deviations in administration of NAC were common in our cohort (69%) and were associated with receipt of GC and administration of NAC at an outside institution.

Pathways Related to the Anti-Cancer Effects of Metabolites Derived from Cerrado Biome Native Plants: An Update and Bioinformatics Analysis on Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Oral cancer is a significant health problem worldwide. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a malignant neoplasm of epithelial cells that mostly affects different anatomical sites in the head and neck and derives from the squamous epithelium or displays similar morphological characteristics. Generally, OSCC is often the end stage of several changes in the stratified squamous epithelium, which begin as epithelial dysplasia and progress by breaking the basement membrane and invading adjacent tissues. Several plant-based drugs with potent anti-cancer effects are considered inexpensive treatments with limited side effects for cancer and other diseases.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this review is to explore whether some Brazilian plant extracts or constituents exhibit anti-tumorigenic activity or have a cytotoxic effect on human oral carcinoma cells.

METHODS

Briefly, OSCC and several metabolites derived from Brazilian plants (i.e., flavonoids, vinblastine, irinotecan, etoposide and paclitaxel) were used as keywords to search the literature on PubMed, GenBank and GeneCards.

RESULTS

The results showed that these five chemical compounds found in Cerrado Biome plants exhibit anti-neoplastic effects. Evaluating the compounds revealed that they play a main role in the regulation of cell proliferation.

CONCLUSION

Preserving and utilising the biodiversity of our planet, especially in unique ecosystems, such as the Cerrado Biome, may prove essential to preserving and promoting human health in modern contexts.

Perioperative immunotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer

Radical cystectomy is the standard of care treatment for patients with localized muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). However, patients with MIBC experience high rates of relapse despite primary therapy, and perioperative strategy is an important treatment option. Cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy was associated with improved prognosis, and adjuvant chemotherapy is also an important option for selected patients. However, perioperative chemotherapy is not effective in some patients. Moreover, the currently recommended perioperative treatment is cisplatin-based chemotherapy; approximately 50% of the patients are ineligilble for cisplatin treatment owing to various reasons such as medical comorbidities, poor performance status, and renal insufficiency. The recent success of treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) suggests that ICIs is the new standard therapy for patients with metastatic bladder cancer. Furthermore, ICIs showed more favorable toxicity profiles than conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy. These results indicate that ICIs may play a role in the treatment of muscle-invasive disease, and many recent studies have been conducted in a perioperative setting. The present review aims to summarize and discuss the current perioperative strategy of immunotherapy focused on ICIs based on recent ongoing clinical trials.

Clinical Perspectives of ERCC1 in Bladder Cancer

ERCC1 is a key regulator of nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway that repairs bulky DNA adducts, including intrastrand DNA adducts and interstrand crosslinks (ICLs). Overexpression of ERCC1 has been linked to increased DNA repair capacity and platinum resistance in solid tumors. Multiple single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been detected in ERCC1 gene that may affect ERCC1 protein expression. Platinum-based treatment remains the cornerstone of urothelial cancer treatment. Given the expanding application of neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced bladder cancer, there is an emerging need for biomarkers that could distinguish potential responders to cisplatin treatment. Extensive research has been done regarding the prognostic and predictive role of ERCC1 gene expression and polymorphisms in bladder cancer. Moreover, novel compounds have been recently developed to target ERCC1 protein function in order to maximize sensitivity to cisplatin. We aim to review all the existing literature regarding the role of the ERCC1 gene in bladder cancer and address future perspectives for its clinical application.

Current Management of Localized Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: A Consensus Guideline from the Genitourinary Medical Oncologists of Canada

BACKGROUND: Despite recent advances in the management of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), treatment outcomes remain suboptimal, and variability exists across current practice patterns. OBJECTIVE: To promote standardization of care for MIBC in Canada by developing a consensus guidelines using a multidisciplinary, evidence-based, patient-centered approach who specialize in bladder cancer. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search of PubMed, Medline, and Embase was performed; and most recent guidelines from national and international organizations were reviewed. Recommendations were made based on best available evidence, and strength of recommendations were graded based on quality of the evidence. RESULTS: Overall, 17 recommendations were made covering a broad range of topics including pathology review, staging investigations, systemic therapy, local definitive therapy and surveillance. Of these, 10 (59% ) were level 1 or 2, 7 (41% ) were level 3 or 4 recommendations. There were 2 recommendations which did not reach full consensus, and were based on majority opinion. This guideline also provides guidance for the management of cisplatin-ineligible patients, variant histologies, and bladder-sparing trimodality therapy. Potential biomarkers, ongoing clinical trials, and future directions are highlighted. CONCLUSIONS: This guideline embodies the collaborative expertise from all disciplines involved, and provides guidance to further optimize and standardize the management of MIBC.

VI-RADS for Bladder Cancer: Current Applications and Future Developments

Bladder cancer (BCa) is among the ten most frequent cancers globally. It is the tumor with the highest lifetime treatment-associated costs, and among the tumors with the heaviest impacts on postoperative quality of life. The purpose of this article is to review the current applications and future perspectives of the Vesical Imaging Reporting and Data System (VI-RADS). VI-RADS is a newly developed scoring system aimed at standardization of MRI acquisition, interpretation, and reporting for BCa. An insight will be given on the BCa natural history, current MRI applications for local BCa staging with assessment of muscle invasiveness, and clinical implications of the score for disease management. Future applications include risk stratification of nonmuscle invasive BCa, surveillance, and prediction and monitoring of therapy response. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 2.

Treatment of muscle-invasive and advanced bladder cancer in 2020

Bladder cancer accounts for nearly 170,000 deaths worldwide annually. For over 4 decades, the systemic management of muscle-invasive and advanced bladder cancer has primarily consisted of platinum-based chemotherapy. Over the past 10 years, innovations in sequencing technologies have led to rapid genomic characterization of bladder cancer, deepening our understanding of bladder cancer pathogenesis and exposing potential therapeutic vulnerabilities. On the basis of its high mutational burden, immune checkpoint inhibitors were investigated in advanced bladder cancer, revealing durable responses in a subset of patients. These agents are now approved for several indications and highlight the changing treatment landscape of advanced bladder cancer. In addition, commonly expressed molecular targets were leveraged to develop targeted therapies, such as fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibitors and antibody-drug conjugates. The molecular characterization of bladder cancer and the development of novel therapies also have stimulated investigations into optimizing treatment approaches for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Herein, the authors review the history of muscle-invasive and advanced bladder cancer management, highlight the important molecular characteristics of bladder cancer, describe the major advances in treatment, and offer future directions for therapeutic development.

Randomized Phase III Trial of Dose-dense Methotrexate, Vinblastine, Doxorubicin, and Cisplatin, or Gemcitabine and Cisplatin as Perioperative Chemotherapy for Patients with Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer. Analysis of the GETUG/AFU V05 VESPER Trial Secondary Endpoints: Chemotherapy Toxicity and Pathological Responses

BACKGROUND

Perioperative chemotherapy (neoadjuvant or adjuvant) has been developed to increase overall survival for nonmetastatic muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Retrospective studies or prospective phase II trials have been reported to use dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (dd-MVAC) or gemcitabine and cisplatin (GC). As dd-MVAC has shown higher response rates in metastatic disease, better efficacy is expected in the perioperative setting.

OBJECTIVE

We designed a randomized phase III trial to compare the efficacy of dd-MVAC or GC in MIBC perioperative (neoadjuvant or adjuvant) setting.

DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

A total of 500 patients were randomized from February 2013 to March 2018 in 28 centers and received either six cycles of dd-MVAC every 2 wk or four cycles of GC every 3 wk.

OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

The primary endpoint (progression-free survival at 3 yr) was not reported. We focused on secondary endpoints: chemotherapy toxicity and pathological responses.

RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS

In the neoadjuvant group, 218 patients received dd-MVAC and 219 received GC. Of the patients, 60% received six cycles in the dd-MVAC arm and 84% received four cycles in the GC arm; 199 (91%) and 198 (90%) patients underwent surgery, respectively. Complete pathological response (ypT0pN0) was observed in 84 (42%) and 71 (36%) patients, respectively (p=0.2). An organ-confined status (<ypT3pN0) was obtained in 154 (77%) and 124 (63%) patients, respectively (p=0.001). In the adjuvant group, 40% of patients received six cycles in the dd-MVAC arm and 60% received four cycles in the GC arm. Most of Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) grade ≥3 toxicities concerned hematological toxicities, reported for 129 (52%) patients in the dd-MVAC group and 134 (55%) patients in the GC group. Gastrointestinal (GI) grade ≥3 disorders were more frequently observed in the dd-MVAC arm (p=0.003), as well as asthenia of grade ≥3 (p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The toxicity of dd-MVAC was manageable with more severe asthenia and GI side effects than that of GC in perioperative chemotherapy. A higher local control rate (complete pathological response, tumor downstaging, or organ confined) was observed in the dd-MVAC arm (p=0.021). However, such data have to be confirmed on progression-free survival, with primary endpoint data expected in mid-2021.

PATIENT SUMMARY

The authors have designed a randomized phase III controlled study comparing the efficacy of gemcitabine and cisplatin, and dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (dd-MVAC) in patients for whom chemotherapy has been decided, before or after radical cystectomy. Higher toxicity regarding asthenia and gastrointestinal side effects along with a better bladder control rate were observed in the dd-MVAC arm. However, such data have to be confirmed on progression-free survival, with primary endpoint data expected in mid-2021.

Management of Urothelial Bladder Cancer in Clinical Practice: Real-World Answers to Difficult Questions

Management of urothelial bladder cancer has historically been challenging as a result of a limited grasp of disease biology and few available systemic therapy options, mainly consisting of platinum-based chemotherapy. Improved understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying pathogenesis of muscle-invasive bladder cancer as well as their correlation with tumor behavior and response to treatment has emerged over the past few years. Remarkable therapeutic advances have been made with the introduction of checkpoint inhibitors, which have changed the course of this disease. Multiple agents with novel mechanisms of action are also actively being explored in ongoing clinical trials. These advances are exciting but may prove challenging in terms of how to apply this constantly evolving plethora of data to actual patients. This review addresses the gray areas and challenging questions that frequently arise in clinical practice.

Evolution of Urothelial Bladder Cancer in the Context of Molecular Classifications

Bladder cancer is a heterogeneous disease that is not depicted by current classification systems. It was originally classified into non-muscle invasive and muscle invasive. However, clinically and genetically variable tumors are summarized within both classes. A definition of three groups may better account for the divergence in prognosis and probably also choice of treatment. The first group represents mostly non-invasive tumors that reoccur but do not progress. Contrarily, the second group represent non-muscle invasive tumors that likely progress to the third group, the muscle invasive tumors. High throughput tumor profiling improved our understanding of the biology of bladder cancer. It allows the identification of molecular subtypes, at least three for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (Class I, Class II and Class III) and six for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (luminal papillary, luminal non-specified, luminal unstable, stroma-rich, basal/squamous and neuroendocrine-like) with distinct clinical and molecular phenotypes. Molecular subtypes can be potentially used to predict the response to treatment (e.g., neoadjuvant chemotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors). Moreover, they may allow to characterize the evolution of bladder cancer through different pathways. However, to move towards precision medicine, the understanding of the biological meaning of these molecular subtypes and differences in the composition of cell subpopulations will be mandatory.

Neoadjuvant therapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer

INTRODUCTION

Muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is generally a highly aggressive malignancy with early and mostly distant recurrences. Cisplatin-based combinations have been established as neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) prior to radical cystectomy (RC) providing overall survival as well as disease-free survival benefit. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized the treatment of metastatic urothelial carcinoma and are being tested in the neoadjuvant setting as well.

AREAS COVERED

This review covers the existing guidelines for the management of MIBC. It summarizes the use of different NAC regimens. It also discusses the published literature of ICIs in this setting and explores future perspectives.

EXPERT OPINION

Cisplatin-based NAC is the standard of care in MIBC prior to RC. Cisplatin-ineligible MIBC patients have not demonstrated to clearly benefit from a chemotherapy regimen and proceed directly to RC, although novel agents have been evaluated in this setting. Pembrolizumab and atezolizumab as monotherapy have shown feasibility and promising pathologic response rates. The combination of cisplatin-based chemotherapy with ICIs and chemotherapy-free ICI alone approaches are being investigated in randomized trials. Molecular subclassification and development of predictive biomarkers in MIBC will further help to identify optimal treatment strategies in these patients.

Perioperative therapies for urological cancers

Although surgery with curative intent is critical for management of many localized cancers, multimodal therapy including neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy has been introduced to increase the effectiveness of local control of surgery and prolong survival. However, strong evidence supporting the utility of such multimodal therapy is limited. The utility of perioperative chemotherapy has been extensively investigated in bladder cancer, and several randomized controlled trials have indicated the benefit of neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy in muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Regrettably, perioperative therapy for other urological cancers is controversial; therefore, no definitive conclusions have been drawn. Recently, the number of trials has rapidly increased due to the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors, used alone or in combination with other modalities. In this review, we summarize the current status and supporting evidence for perioperative therapies such as neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapies for urological cancers, including prostate cancer, urothelial cancer and renal cell carcinoma.

Cutting-edge Management of Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer in 2020 and a Glimpse into the Future

This case-based discussion describes the clinical course of a 63-yr-old patient who presented with gross hematuria and was diagnosed with a muscle-invasive bladder cancer at transurethral resection. Computed tomography revealed a locally advanced tumor, and the patient underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by open radical cystectomy with standard pelvic lymph node dissection. In a step-by-step fashion, we elaborate on diagnostic and therapeutic treatment options from two different vantage points: (1) guideline-adherent treatment with the state-of-the-art standard of care, and (2) a glimpse into the future discussing the evidence of potential additional or alternative approaches based on recent scientific advances. PATIENT SUMMARY: In this case-based discussion, we follow the clinical course of a patient with advanced bladder cancer and elaborate how the state-of-the-art treatment looks like in 2020, based on the best available evidence. This is compared with potential future treatment strategies, which may change and alternate our understanding of optimal bladder cancer care.

Androgen receptor in bladder cancer: A promising therapeutic target

There has been a significant progress in the treatment of metastatic urothelial carcinoma in the last few years with the advent of immunotherapy after a long gap of no drug approvals for over 4 decades. While immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors has revolutionized the treatment of urothelial carcinoma, unfortunately, only a minority of patients respond to immunotherapy. Treatment options for patients who do not respond and/or progress on immunotherapy are very limited and overall prognosis remains dismal in metastatic urothelial carcinoma. The first targeted therapy targeting the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) was recently approved for bladder cancer, but it is effective only in select patients harboring the FGFR2 and FGFR 3 mutations. Antibody drug conjugates like enfortumab vedotin have shown promising activity in clinical trials. Development of novel targeted therapies remains an area of investigation and an unmet need in bladder cancer. Exploitation of androgen receptor (AR) is a potential strategy for targeted drug development in bladder cancer. A significant proportion of urothelial carcinoma patients express AR irrespective of gender. AR signaling in urothelial carcinoma has been linked to progression through multiple mechanisms, including activation of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (EGFR or HER-2) signaling and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). Furthermore, AR is enriched in the luminal papillary mRNA subtype of urothelial carcinoma and also mediates resistance to cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Preclinical evidence suggests that AR inhibition can successfully inhibit urothelial carcinoma growth as monotherapy and is synergistic with cisplatin-based chemotherapy. We review the preclinical and clinical evidence supporting the putative role of AR signaling in urothelial carcinoma pathogenesis, progression and its role as a novel therapeutic target and future directions.

Managing Bladder Cancer Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic Using a Team-Based Approach

The recent novel coronavirus, named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has developed into an international pandemic affecting millions of individuals with hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide. The highly infectious nature and widespread prevalence of this disease create a new set of obstacles for the bladder cancer community in both delivering and receiving care. In this manuscript, we address the unique issues regarding treatment prioritization for the patient with bladder cancer and how we at City of Hope have adjusted our clinical practices using a team-based approach that utilizes shared decision making with all stakeholders (physicians, patients, caregivers) to optimize outcomes during this difficult time. In addition to taking standard precautions for minimizing COVID-19 risk of exposure for those entering a healthcare facility (screening all personnel upon entry and donning facemasks at all times), we suggest the following three measures: (1) delay post-treatment surveillance visits until there is a decrease in local COVID-19 cases, (2) continue curative intent treatments for localized bladder cancer with COVID-19 precautions (i.e., choosing gemcitabine/cisplatin (GC) over dose-dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, cisplatin (ddMVAC) neoadjuvant chemotherapy), and (3) increase the off-treatment period between cycles of palliative systemic therapy in metastatic urothelial carcinoma patients.