- Hundreds of people with aggressive bladder cancer set to
benefit from a treatment that reduces the risk of the cancer
returning
A new combination treatment for
aggressive bladder cancer has been recommended today (Tuesday, 10
February) by NICE, marking a significant step change in how the
disease is treated.
Durvalumab (brand name Imfinzi, made
by AstraZeneca) will be given alongside chemotherapy before
surgery, then on its own afterwards. This is the first time
immunotherapy has been incorporated into both stages of treatment
for muscle-invasive bladder cancer, offering patients a more
effective way to help prevent the cancer from
returning.
Clinical trial evidence shows that
risk of the cancer returning is lower for
people taking durvalumab with chemotherapy before
surgery, and then after surgery, than with
chemotherapy alone.
Just over 630 people in England are
expected to be eligible for this treatment each
year.
Durvalumab is given by infusion (drip)
every three weeks with chemotherapy before surgery and
every four weeks after surgery. It works by targeting a
protein in the body that helps the immune system recognise and
fight cancer cells.
It is suitable for adults with
muscle-invasive bladder cancer – a form of the disease where
cancer has spread into the muscle layer of the bladder but not to
other parts of the body.
The disease causes symptoms including
blood in the urine, pain in the lower back or abdomen, and
unexplained weight loss. It severely affects quality of life.
Treatment typically involves surgical removal of the
bladder.
In 2022, there were 18,060 new bladder
cancer cases diagnosed in England. Most cases occur in
people in their sixties and seventies, but bladder cancer
can affect younger people too. It is more common in men than
women.
This guidance was produced using a
simpler assessment process, meaning patients will get access to
the treatment faster than if the standard process had been
used.
A confidential commercial arrangement
is in place, making durvalumab available to the NHS at a
discounted price.
Read the full draft final guidance
for durvalumab with gemcitabine and cisplatin before surgery
(neoadjuvant) then alone after surgery (adjuvant) for treating
muscle-invasive bladder cancer.
