What the trial was testing
The trial enrolled 168 patients with bladder cancer. The study was sponsored by Bayer and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was an early-stage trial — researchers are still confirming safety and getting an early look at how well the treatment works. 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
15% of patients with high FGFR levels saw their tumors shrink with rogaratinib.
The Lancet. Oncology · 2019 · NCT01976741
These findings — that saw their tumors shrink with the treatment — were published in the The Lancet. Oncology and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 168 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
This was an early-stage study and rogaratinib is not yet FDA-approved. The researchers found the drug was generally well-tolerated and showed some promise in bladder cancer and other cancers with high FGFR protein levels. If you have advanced cancer, ask your doctor about open trials testing FGFR inhibitors or other approved treatment options.
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
CONFIRM: Magnetic Resonance Guided Radiation Therapy
This research is being done to determine the safety and feasibility of using a type of radiation guided by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and chemotherapy to treat patients with gastric and breast cancer. The name of the radiation machine involved in this study is the MRIdian Linear Accelerator.
Is the Normal Looking Bladder Mucosa on WL Cystoscopy During TURBT Really Normal and Can NBI Detect Hidden Tumor
As every urologist does transurethral resection of bladder tumor. So there are instances in which the operating surgeon is not sure whether the normal-looking mucosa or the inflammatory changes are really benign or if we are missing the CIS/bladder cancer.