Advanced/metastatic bladder cancer: current status and future directions

Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2020 Nov;24(22):11536-11552. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_202011_23795.

Abstract

In 2015 bladder cancer was the fourth most frequent malignancy and the eighth cause of death for cancer. At diagnosis, about 30% of bladder cancer (BC) patients present a muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) and 5% a metastatic bladder carcinoma (MBC). For fit MBC patients, combination chemotherapy (CC) is the standard of care for first-line treatment. CC includes both the treatment with methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (MVAC) either the classical or the dose-dense MVAC regimen, and the doublet therapy with cisplatin and gemcitabine (CG). Median progression free survival (PFS) was 7 months and median overall survival (OS) was 15 months. The present review provides an update on the management of MBC, with focus on target therapies, immune checkpoint inhibition, looking for prognostic and predictive factors.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors / therapeutic use*
  • Humans
  • Urinary Bladder Neoplasms* / diagnosis
  • Urinary Bladder Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Urinary Bladder Neoplasms* / immunology

Substances

  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors