Muscle-invasive and advanced bladder cancer
Prepared with OnCo (onco.cc/prep/muscle-invasive-bladder-cancer/). Orientation, not medical advice; your team knows your case.
My details
What I know, what is unclear, changes to discuss
Saved in this browserMy questions
19 on the sheet- 1.What is my exact diagnosis, stage, and grade, and which tests established them?
- 2.Which biomarkers have been tested on my tumour (for example Cisplatin eligibility, PD-L1 expression, FGFR3 mutations and fusions, Nectin-4 expression, Circulating tumour DNA after cystectomy), and what were the results?
- 3.Which subtype is my cancer, and does that change the recommended treatment?
- 4.Is germline (inherited) genetic testing recommended for me or my family?
- 5.For my situation (muscle-invasive, cisplatin-eligible), which of the standard options do you recommend and why?
- 6.Am I a candidate for Cisplatin, Gemcitabine, Durvalumab or related drugs, and what side effects should I expect?
- 7.How do the results of NIAGARA and CheckMate 274 apply to someone like me?
- 8.For my situation (bladder preservation), which of the standard options do you recommend and why?
- 9.Am I a candidate for Cisplatin, and what side effects should I expect?
- 10.For my situation (metastatic, first line), which of the standard options do you recommend and why?
- 11.Am I a candidate for Enfortumab vedotin, Pembrolizumab, and what side effects should I expect?
- 12.How do the results of EV-302 / KEYNOTE-A39 apply to someone like me?
- 13.For my situation (later lines), which of the standard options do you recommend and why?
- 14.Am I a candidate for Erdafitinib, Enfortumab vedotin, and what side effects should I expect?
- 15.Are there clinical trials I could join, for example of Durvalumab, Erdafitinib, Enfortumab vedotin?
- 16.Would a second opinion at a high-volume centre change anything, and can you help arrange it?
- 17.What supportive care (symptom control, nutrition, exercise, mental health, financial help) is available from the start?
- 18.I read that “Cisplatin-ineligible patients still have fewer options”. How does that affect my plan?
- 19.I read that “Choosing between cystectomy and bladder preservation lacks randomised evidence”. How does that affect my plan?
The words I may hear
- Radical cystectomy: Removing the bladder (and nearby organs) for bladder cancer that has grown into the muscle wall; urine is then diverted through a stoma or a new bladder made of bowel.
Tests and results to bring
Biomarker results to ask for: Cisplatin eligibility (kidney function, hearing, performance status), PD-L1 expression (selects immunotherapy in some settings), FGFR3 mutations and fusions (erdafitinib), Nectin-4 expression (near universal; enfortumab vedotin target), Circulating tumour DNA after cystectomy (adjuvant selection).
Scans and tests linked to this cancer: Urine tests for bladder cancer (cytology, FISH, RNA and methylation).
Bring copies of scan reports, pathology and blood results, and a list of every medicine and supplement.
The treatments I may be offered
- Muscle-invasive, cisplatin-eligible: Neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy (dose-dense MVAC or gemcitabine-cisplatin) with durvalumab (NIAGARA), then radical cystectomy with lymph node dissection and adjuvant durvalumab; adjuvant nivolumab for high-risk residual disease (CheckMate 274). (Cisplatin, Gemcitabine, Durvalumab, NIAGARA, Radical cystectomy, Nivolumab, CheckMate 274)
- Bladder preservation: Maximal transurethral resection followed by chemoradiation, with salvage cystectomy for recurrence, in patients with unifocal tumours and no carcinoma in situ or in those unfit for surgery. (IMRT / IGRT (modern external beam), Radiosensitisers, Cisplatin)
- Metastatic, first line: Enfortumab vedotin plus pembrolizumab (EV-302); gemcitabine-platinum followed by avelumab maintenance where the combination is unavailable. (Enfortumab vedotin, Pembrolizumab, EV-302 / KEYNOTE-A39)
- Later lines: Erdafitinib for FGFR3 alterations; platinum chemotherapy or enfortumab vedotin if not given first line; clinical trials. (Erdafitinib, FGFR3, Enfortumab vedotin)
From the standard of care recorded for this cancer; which apply depends on your stage and biomarkers. Ask which the team recommends and why.