What the trial was testing
The trial enrolled 37 patients with bladder cancer. The study was sponsored by Radiation Therapy Oncology Group and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was initial testing (phase 2). Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
88% kept their bladders at 3 years on combined radiation-chemotherapy.
Journal of Clinical Oncology · 2024 · NCT00981656
These findings — that kept their bladders at 3 years with trimodality therapy for BCG-failed T1 bladder cancer — were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 37 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with bladder cancer, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
Bladder-preserving trimodality therapy (transurethral resection plus radiation plus chemotherapy) is offered at major cancer centers as an alternative to radical cystectomy. Both approaches are reasonable for selected patients. Ask a urologic oncologist and radiation oncologist about which fits your case.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open bladder cancer trials
Enfortumab Vedotin With Radiation for Locally Advanced Bladder Cancer (CONSOLIDATE)
To learn if the combination of enfortumab vedotin plus radiation therapy could help to control the disease.
Comparison of Intravesical Therapy and Surgery as Treatment Options for Bladder Cancer 2
Bladder cancer is the most common urinary tract cancer and the 6th most common cancer in the US. Yet bladder cancer research is underfunded relative to other common cancers. As a result, bladder cancer care is prone to evidence gaps that produce decision uncertainty for both patients and clinicians. The Comparison of Intravesical Therapy and Surgery as Treatment Options for Bladder Cancer Study 2 (CISTO2) has the potential to fill these critical evidence gaps, change care pathways for the management of NMIBC (non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer), and provide for personalized, patient-centered care. The purpose of CISTO2 is to conduct a large prospective study that directly compares the impact of bladder sparing therapies versus bladder removal in recurrent high-grade NMIBC patients on financial toxicity, clinical outcomes and patient and caregiver experience using standardized patient-reported outcomes (PROs).