Novel therapeutics for patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer

Abstract

A number of novel therapeutics are being developed for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Several of these agents have made their way into clinical trials. NMIBC includes a heterogeneous group of tumors with a wide range of recurrence and progression rates that must be considered in the design of clinical trials for these newer agents. Indeed, the goals of novel therapeutics for NMIBC differ depending on the recurrence and progression risk. The authors discuss the clinical experience with novel therapeutics, including alternative chemotherapeutics (apaziquone, docetaxel and gemcitabine), new paradigms for the delivery of chemotherapy, gene therapy and photodynamic therapy, emphasizing the need for appropriate risk stratification and comparison groups for future trials.

Keywords::

• apaziquone
• bladder cancer
• electromotive
• gene therapy
• photodynamic
• superficial
• therapeutics
• thermo–chemotherapy

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Robert S Svatek is partially funded through the NIH T32 grant: 5 T32 CA 079449-0. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.