Dr. Desai on Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors with Chemoradiation in Urothelial Cancer

Neil Desai, MD, associate professor, radiation oncology, UT Southwestern Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the investigation of immune checkpoint inhibitors with chemoradiation in urothelial cancer.

Patients with urothelial cancer have the risk of experiencing distant metastases and disease progression, and ongoing clinical trials are focusing on addressing these unmet needs with alternative approaches beyond radiation and chemotherapy, Desai explains. Various studies are exploring the addition of immune checkpoint inhibitors to chemoradiation, Desai adds, including the phase 3 SWOG 1806 trial (NCT03775265) investigating the addition of atezolizumab (Tecentriq) to standard chemoradiotherapy, Desai says.

Beneficial data have been observed in high-risk patients with urothelial cancer who received an adjuvant checkpoint inhibitor following cystectomy, Desai continues. Checkpoint inhibitors can address the risk of distant metastases in patients with urothelial cancer and potentially provide a survival benefit for these patients, Desai concludes.