Researchers at the Tisch Cancer Institute have made a significant discovery in the treatment of bladder cancer.
They found that a specific type of chemotherapy, when used alongside immunotherapy, enhances the immune system’s ability to combat the disease.
Published in Cell Reports Medicine, these findings provide valuable insights into the treatment of metastatic or advanced bladder cancer.
The study, led by Dr. Matthew Galsky, Co-Director of the Center of Excellence for Bladder Cancer at The Tisch Cancer Institute, focuses on the effects of cisplatin chemotherapy.
This particular chemotherapy has been known to outperform carboplatin in treating bladder cancer, but the reasons behind this have remained unclear until now.
Dr. Galsky’s research sheds light on why cisplatin-based chemotherapy might lead to lasting disease control in some patients with metastatic bladder cancer.
It also suggests potential ways to identify which patients could benefit most from this treatment and lays the groundwork for developing more effective therapy regimens that leverage cisplatin’s ability to modify the immune response.
Bladder cancer affects approximately 83,000 individuals annually in the United States. Treating metastatic bladder cancer has been challenging with the current therapeutic options.
Therefore, understanding how to best utilize available drugs and develop effective combination therapies is crucial.
The study reveals that cisplatin chemotherapy may be particularly effective when the body has already mounted a suppressed immune response against the tumor.
It was also found that cisplatin causes DNA damage in cancer cells, potentially altering gene expression in a way that enhances the immune system’s ability to recognize and attack these cells.
This research represents a collaborative effort involving multiple institutions and utilized biospecimens from an international Phase III clinical trial.
It marks an important advancement in the understanding and treatment of bladder cancer, offering hope for more effective and personalized therapeutic strategies for those battling this challenging disease.
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The research findings can be found in Cell Reports Medicine.
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