Dr. Iyer on Evolving Treatments in Bladder Cancer

Gopa Iyer, MD, medical oncologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the standard chemotherapy options for patients with bladder cancer, but mentions how other agents are evolving the landscape. Iyer shared this insight during the 2016 OncLive State of the Science Summit on Genitourinary Cancers.

For the last 20 years, treatment has been standard chemotherapy with cisplatin in combination with a number of other chemotherapy agents, Iyer explains. While these therapies have resulted in responses in a little over 50% of patients, most of them will relapse. When physicians try to give chemotherapy in the second-line setting, the responses are only about 10% to 15%, Iyer adds.

However, there has been a sea change in the last 6 to 8 months or so with the FDA approval of the immunotherapy agent atezolizumab (Tecentriq) in patients with metastatic bladder cancer whose disease has already progressed on chemotherapy.

There are standard chemotherapy options available for patients. However, it is important for researchers and physicians to determine when to use immunotherapy in these patients and how to manage associated adverse events.