The innovative new treatment which could help cancer patients avoid surgery
An experimental, non-surgical treatment has shown strong results in fighting one form of bladder cancer, new research shows.
The type of cancer known as BCG-unresponsive, high-risk, non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer is difficult to treat and has previously relied on surgery to remove the bladder.
However, a new “breakthrough” treatment known as Inlexzo, being tested by Janssen Research and Development, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, may offer a more preferable alternative to surgery.
So far, the treatment has eliminated tumors that were resistant to previous treatment in 82 percent of patients.
Study leader Sia Daneshmand said: “Traditionally these patients have had very limited treatment options. This new treatment is the most effective treatment reported to date for the most common type of bladder cancer.”
He continued: “The findings of the clinical trial are groundbreaking in how certain types of bladder cancer can be treated, leading to improved outcomes and lives saved.”
This treatment involves a simple outpatient procedure in which Inlexzo, a small, drug-eluting system, is inserted directly into the bladder without general anesthesia. This activates a process that slowly releases the chemotherapy drug gemcitabine over several weeks.
Dr Daneshmand explained: “The theory behind this study was that the longer the drug stays inside the bladder, the deeper it will penetrate the bladder and destroy more cancer.
“And it seems that releasing chemotherapy slowly over weeks rather than just a few hours is a much more effective approach.”
Bladder cancer is the ninth most common cancer in the world, the fourth most common cancer in men and the 11th most common cancer in women. Bladder cancer is more common in people ages 75 to 84, as it is more likely to develop as you get older.
All participants in the study had high-risk bladder cancer that did not respond to the standard immunotherapy drug BCG. The study was divided into test groups treated with different combinations of drugs and methods.
In one group, patients received Inlexzo every three weeks for about six months, followed by maintenance treatments every 12 weeks for up to two years.
Of the 85 patients in this group, 82.4 percent had no detectable signs of cancer after treatment. In this group, 52.9 percent remained cancer-free at one year, and many remained cancer-free for more than two years. additional therapy.
In another group of patients with a less aggressive type of early-stage bladder cancer, early disease-free survival rates It was 85.3 percent in six months and 81.1 percent in nine months. Overall, 94 percent of patients were able to keep their bladders intact.
Clinical trial results were published earlier this year. Journal of Clinical Oncologyhowever, the findings may not be representative of all types of bladder cancer.
