What the trial was testing
The trial enrolled 157 patients with bladder cancer. The study was sponsored by Ferring Pharmaceuticals and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was a large trial designed to confirm whether the treatment works well enough for wider use. 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
53% of patients with carcinoma in situ had complete disappearance of cancer within three months.
The Lancet. Oncology · 2021 · NCT02773849
These findings — that had complete disappearance of carcinoma in situ within three months — were published in the The Lancet. Oncology and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 157 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 gene therapy is FDA-approved under the brand name ADSTILADRIN. It's an option for people with high-risk bladder cancer that didn't respond to BCG treatment and who want to avoid surgery. Talk to your urologist or oncologist about whether this treatment is right for you.
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
Therapeutic Plasma Exchange With Enfortumab Vedotin and Pembrolizumab for Treatment of Bladder Cancers
This phase II trial compares therapeutic plasma exchange followed by enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab to standard of care next-line therapy for the treatment of patients with bladder or upper urinary tract cancers that have spread from where they first started (primary site) to other places in the body (metastatic) and that have not responded to previous treatment (refractory). TPE is a process that slowly removes a patient's blood through an intravenous or central line. The blood is sent through a machine that separates the plasma (the liquid part of blood) from other blood components (red cells, white cells, platelets). The plasma is then removed. The remaining blood components are combined with replacement fluid and returned to the patient's bloodstream through the intravenous or central line. Enfortumab vedotin is a monoclonal antibody, enfortumab, linked to an anticancer drug called vedotin. It works by helping the immune system to slow or stop the growth of cancer cells. Enfortumab attaches to a protein called nectin-4 on cancer cells in a targeted way and delivers vedotin to kill them. It is a type of antibody-drug conjugate. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Treatment with enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of bladder cancer, but TPE is not. Combining TPE with enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab may work better than standard of care options for treating metastatic and refractory bladder and urinary tract cancers. This study also evaluates the effect of TPE with standard of care antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) in treating patients with refractory metastatic bladder cancer. ADC therapy is treatment with a monoclonal antibody linked to a chemotherapy drug. It is a form of targeted therapy because it attaches to specific molecules (receptors) on the surface of tumor cells, and delivers chemotherapy to kill them. Giving TPE with standard of care ADC therapy may be effective in treating patients with refractory metastatic bladder cancer.
Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (Tests) for Bladder Cancer Participants Undergoing Radical Cystectomy
This study focuses on providing an educational program for people/participants with bladder cancer who plan to have a cystectomy (surgery) as part of their standard care. Participants in this study will watch videos designed to teach them strategies to help lower their risk of experiencing negative side effects (such as mobility problems, issues with taking medication, and poor quality of life) before and after they have surgery. They will also be asked to fill out questionnaires.