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• Bladder cancer recurrence after TUR remains a challenge, necessitating innovative approaches like Nectin-4 CAR-T cells. • Combining intravesical BCG or ICIs with CAR-T therapy may enhance efficacy against bladder cancer's immune suppression. • Nectin-4 CAR-T cells hold promise in revolutionizing bladder cancer treatment by preventing recurrence. Bladder cancer poses a significant global health challenge, particularly with its prevalence in males and the increasing incidence rates in Europe. While non-muscle invasive bladder cancer can be managed with localized treatments, its recurrence remains a concern. Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin therapy triggers an immune response against cancer cells, yet recurrences post- transurethral resection of bladder tumor persist. Thus, innovative strategies are needed. We propose the use of Nectin-4 targeted chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy to prevent non-muscle invasive bladder cancer recurrence and progression. Nectin-4 is expressed in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, making it an ideal target. CAR-T cells engineered with Nectin-4 receptors can specifically eliminate cancer cells. By directly applying these cells intravesically, the limitations of CAR-T cell access to solid tumors are circumvented. However, challenges persist, such as the immunosuppressive microenvironment of bladder cancer. This can be addressed by combining intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin with CAR-T therapy or utilizing immune checkpoint inhibitors. CAR-T therapy-related toxicities, like cytokine release syndrome, can be managed with IL-6 and IL-1 receptor inhibitors. Our hypothesis suggests that Nectin-4 targeted CAR-T cells have the potential to revolutionize bladder cancer treatment. This therapy could not only eliminate cancer cells but also prevent recurrence and progression by inducing immune memory. Although further research is needed, this innovative approach shows promise in the treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until 2016, the treatment options for patients with urothelial carcinoma who had progressed to first line treatment were limited. Vinflunine has been the only approved treatment in Europe for this indication. The only alternatives in these patients were clinical trials or other chemotherapies with low efficacy and high toxicity. The last couple of years, three immune-checkpoint inhibitors have been approved in Europe (pembrolizumab, atezolizumab and nivolumab) and five in USA (pembrolizumab, atezolizumab, nivolumab, durvalumaband avelumab), showing improved overall survival (OS), response rate (ORR) and tolerance. Recently, the FDA has approved two new treatments based on the results from the phase II trials. Erdafitinib, the first anti-FGFR treatment in patients with mutations/fusions in FGFR2/3 showed an ORR of 40% and an OS of 13,8 months. Likewise, enfortumab-vedotin, an antibody conjugates, was approved by the FDA based on the phase II trial results. Enfortumab-vedotin presented an ORR of 44%(12% of complete response) and an OS of 11,7 months. Other antiFGFR, antibody conjugates and immunotherapy combinations are in development, with promising results that need to be further confirmed in order to be approved. As a result, the landscape of urothelial canceris rapidly evolving. However, the challenge of individualizing and sequencing treatments remains.

Purpose: Fibrinogen is thought to have a potentially significant role in the progression and metastatic spread of different human cancers. A recent study from Asia indicated that elevated preoperative plasma fibrinogen might be associated with a worse outcome in patients with surgically treated localized upper tract urothelial carcinoma. We validated the prognostic impact of this potential biomarker in a European cohort of patients with localized upper tract urothelial carcinoma., Materials and Methods: We evaluated data on 167 patients with nonmetastatic upper tract urothelial carcinoma who underwent surgery between 1990 and 2012 at a single tertiary academic center. Patients were categorized using an optimal cutoff value of preoperative plasma fibrinogen. Patient cancer specific and overall survival was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were performed for each end point. The influence of fibrinogen on the predictive accuracy of the multivariate model was further determined by the Harrell c-index., Results: Multivariate analysis identified increased preoperative plasma fibrinogen as an independent prognostic factor for cancer specific survival (HR 3.00, 95% CI 1.32-6.80, p = 0.008) and overall survival (HR 2.48, 95% CI 1.31-4.68, p = 0.005). The estimated c-index of the multivariate model for cancer specific survival was 0.72 without fibrinogen and 0.74 when fibrinogen was added. The risk model that we developed significantly differentiated between low, intermediate and high risk groups for cancer related death (p <0.001)., Conclusions: Elevated fibrinogen seems to represent a negative prognostic factor for cancer specific and overall survival in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma. This parameter should be considered an additional prognostic factor for upper tract urothelial carcinoma in the future., (Copyright © 2014 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Context: The European Association of Urology (EAU) Guideline Group for urothelial cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract (UUT-UCC) has prepared new guidelines to aid clinicians in assessing the current evidence-based management of UUT-UCC and to incorporate present recommendations into daily clinical practice., Objective: This paper provides a brief overview of the EAU guidelines on UUT-UCC as an aid to clinicians in their daily practice., Evidence Acquisition: The recommendations provided in the current guidelines are based on a thorough review of available UUT-UCC guidelines and papers identified using a systematic search of Medline. Data on urothelial malignancies and UUT-UCCs in the literature were searched using Medline with the following keywords: urinary tract cancer, urothelial carcinomas, upper urinary tract, carcinoma, transitional cell, renal pelvis, ureter, bladder cancer, chemotherapy, nephroureterectomy, adjuvant treatment, neoadjuvant treatment, recurrence, risk factors, and survival. A panel of experts weighted the references., Evidence Synthesis: There is a lack of data in the current literature to provide strong recommendations due to the rarity of the disease. A number of recent multicentre studies are now available, whereas earlier publications were based only on limited populations. However, most of these studies have been retrospective analyses. The TNM classification 2009 is recommended. Recommendations are given for diagnosis as well as for radical and conservative treatment; prognostic factors are also discussed. Recommendations are provided for patient follow-up after different therapeutic options., Conclusions: These guidelines contain information for the diagnosis and treatment of individual patients according to a current standardised approach. When determining the optimal treatment regimen, physicians must take into account each individual patient's specific clinical characteristics with regard to renal function including medical comorbidities; tumour location, grade and stage; and molecular marker status., (Copyright © 2011 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)