Keypoints:
- The latest findings from the NIAGARA trial and its implications for patient care.
- The role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy along with inmunotherapy, and the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration in treatment planning.
- Insights into patient outcomes, including event-free survival and overall survival rates.
- The significance of ctDNA and pathological complete response (pCR) in assessing treatment effectiveness.
In this episode, Drs. Rahul & Rohit Gosain, delved into the rapidly evolving landscape of bladder cancer treatment, particularly focusing on muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). We discussed the promising results from the NIAGARA trial, which has established Durvalumab as the new standard of care in conjunction with neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
We were joined by esteemed colleagues in the field: Dr. Karine Tawagi, Dr. Petros Grivas, Dr. Joshua Meeks, and Dr. Neal Shore. Dr. Tawagi outlined the current treatment paradigm for MIBC, emphasized the importance of determining cisplatin eligibility and the role of chemotherapy, surgery, and adjuvant immunotherapy. She highlighted the significant findings from the NIAGARA trial, which demonstrated improved event-free survival and overall survival rates with the addition of Durvalumab.
Dr. Grivas provided insights into the trial’s design and its implications for clinical practice, noting that the combination of Durvalumab with standard chemotherapy has shown a substantial benefit for patients. He also discussed the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration in managing these patients effectively.
Dr. Meeks shared updates from the recent AUA meeting, focusing on the subset of patients with reduced kidney function and their outcomes. Dr. Shore emphasized the need for early conversations with patients about the new treatment options and the importance of a collaborative approach between urologists and medical oncologists.
Throughout the episode, we stressed the significance of patient education regarding potential side effects and the importance of monitoring during treatment. We also touched on the exciting prospects of ctDNA as a biomarker in bladder cancer management.
In summary, this episode highlights the transformative impact of the NIAGARA trial on bladder cancer treatment, reinforcing the need for a multidisciplinary approach to optimize patient outcomes. We look forward to further discussions on emerging data and the future of bladder cancer therapies.