1. Avelumab maintenance therapy for node-positive muscle invasive bladder cancer: a report of two cases.
- Author
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Poon DMC, Ho LY, and Kwong YM
- Abstract
Background: Muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) with nodal involvement is associated with poor prognosis and high mortality. Treatment of node-positive MIBC is complex due to disease heterogeneity and a lack of evidence-based treatment options, especially alternatives to radical cystectomy. We describe a bladder-sparing management approach involving systemic therapy followed by maintenance therapy, illustrated with two cases of node-positive MIBC., Case Presentation: Two patients with node-positive MIBC received upfront gemcitabine/cisplatin chemotherapy, concurrent chemoradiotherapy (cCRT), and avelumab (immune checkpoint inhibitor) maintenance therapy. Both patients achieved complete remission without recurrence or distant metastasis post-avelumab maintenance therapy. At the last follow-up, Patient 1 (45-year-old male) was in remission for over two years, and Patient 2 (57-year-old male) was in complete remission for over one year post-chemotherapy. Avelumab treatment was well-tolerated, with no immune-related adverse events, and quality of life (QoL) was maintained., Conclusion: Both cases showed a good response and extended remission on avelumab maintenance, supporting its use in conjunction with local consolidation therapy as a bladder-preserving approach in node-positive MIBC. Further research, such as the ongoing INSPIRE trial, is required to refine treatment strategies for this patient group., Competing Interests: Dr. DP serves as an advisory board member and speaker for Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, outside of the submitted work. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Poon, Ho and Kwong.)
- Published
- 2024
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