Evolving systemic management of urothelial cancers

International multicenter study of stereotactic radiosurgery for bladder cancer brain metastases

PURPOSE

Bladder cancer rarely metastasizes to the brain. This study was performed to evaluate stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for the management of bladder cancer brain metastases.

METHODS

Cases of bladder cancer brain metastases treated with SRS were collected by members of the International Radiosurgery Research Foundation (IRRF) and outcome data was analyzed for patients with at least one clinical or imaging follow-up.

RESULTS

103 patients received SRS for 301 brain metastases. Median age at SRS was 68 and 73.8% of patients were male. Median KPS was 80%. Median time from primary to brain metastases diagnosis was 18 months. At the time of SRS, 50% of patients had other systemic metastases. The median number of metastases treated was 1, and median cumulative SRS volume was 1.16 cc. Most patients had single fraction SRS using a median margin dose of 18 Gy. At the time of analysis, 9.7% of patients were alive. Median survival after SRS was 7 months. Local control was achieved for 89.3% of metastases, 42% of patients developed new remote brain metastases, and 4.9% had leptomeningeal dissemination. Subsequent management included repeat SRS in 21.7%, surgical resection in 8.8% and WBRT in 7.6% of patients. At last follow-up, 32.1% of patients had improvement of their symptoms, whereas 38.5% remained stable. Adverse radiation effects occurred in 4.3% of treated metastases. On multivariate analyses, KPS ≥ 80% and non-urothelial histology predicted improved survival, while absence of corticosteroid intake predicted longer tumor control.

CONCLUSION

Bladder cancer brain metastases can be safely managed with SRS.

Evolving Treatment Landscape of Frontline Therapy for Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma: Current Insights and Future Perspectives

Cisplatin-based chemotherapy has long been the standard first-line (1L) treatment for metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC). However, up to 50% of patients with mUC may be ineligible for cisplatin owing to comorbidities, necessitating alternative primary treatment options. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have emerged as a vital alternative for those unable to receive cisplatin. Nevertheless, the prognosis of advanced UC remains dire and challenges persist in optimizing 1L therapy. Recent medical advancements have redirected attention towards innovative drug combinations for the primary treatment of mUC. The combination of enfortumab vedotin (EV) and pembrolizumab has shown significantly improved overall and progression-free survival rates compared to those with chemotherapy alone. This combination can be used as a 1L treatment for patients with mUC who are cisplatin-ineligible or require alternatives to standard chemotherapy. While platinum-based chemotherapy continues to be essential for many patients, the approval of EV and pembrolizumab as 1L treatments for cisplatin-ineligible patients signifies a major breakthrough in primary cancer care. These therapies offer enhanced outcomes in terms of survival and response rates and highlight the increasing relevance of ICI-containing regimens in frontline cancer care. This review provides an exhaustive overview of the current frontline treatment landscape of mUC and explores new therapeutic strategies, with the aim of facilitating clinical decision-making and guiding therapeutic strategies in patients with mUC.

Hyaluronan Metabolism in Urologic Cancers

Hyaluronan (HA) is one of the major components of the extracellular matrix in tumor tissue. Recent reports have made it clear that the balance of HA synthesis and degradation is critical for tumor progression. HA is synthesized on the cytoplasmic surface of the plasma membrane by hyaluronan synthases (HAS) and extruded into the extracellular space. Excessive HA production in cancer is associated with enhanced HA degradation in the tumor microenvironment, leading to the accumulation of HA fragments with small molecular weight. These perturbations in both HA synthesis and degradation may play important roles in tumor progression. Recently, it has become increasingly clear that small HA fragments can induce a variety of biological events, such as angiogenesis, cancer-promoting inflammation, and tumor-associated immune suppression. Progression of urologic malignancies, particularly of prostate and bladder cancers, as well as of certain types of kidney cancer show markedly perturbed metabolism of tumor-associated HA. This review highlights the recent research findings regarding HA metabolism in tumor microenvironments with a special focus on urologic cancers. It also will discuss the potential implications of these findings for the development of novel therapeutic interventions for the treatment of prostate, bladder, and kidney cancers.