Bladder Cancer News Archives

« More News Stories      Go Back »

Repeated Surgery May Benefit Patients with Stage I Bladder Cancer

Friday, May 26th, 2006

According to a Turkish study recently published in The Journal of Urology,  repeated transurethral resection (TUR) among patients with Stage I bladder cancer may improve patient outcomes.  Stage I bladder cancer refers to cancer that has spread to the connective tissue just beneath the inner lining of the bladder, but does not involve the bladder muscle.  Patients with State I bladder cancer are often treated with TUR (removal of the tumor using an instrument passed through the urethra) and adjuvant therapy to decrease the risk of cancer recurrence or progression to more invasive disease.  Adjuvant therapy often involves intravesical therapy (placement of the drug directly into the bladder) with mitomycin or BCG.

Although this therapy is beneficial, recurrences of bladder tumors are common.  The researchers in Turkey evaluated the effect of repeated TUR to determine if the procedure would reduce the risk of recurrence.  In the study which involved 148 patients with newly diagnosed Stage I bladder cancer, 26% of the patients who received repeated TURs (performed two to six weeks apart) experienced a cancer recurrence, compared to 63% of patients who received on a single TUR.  The benefit of repeated TU was most apparant for patients with high grade tumors (grade 2 or grade 3).  Overall survival, however, was similar in the two groups.  For more details, please click here.

Cell Genesys Announces Results for New Bladder Cancer Drug

Friday, May 26th, 2006

Cell Genesys recently announced results of a Phase 1 trial indicating that CG0070 is safe and may have anti-tumor activity in bladder cancer patients.  In the trial, which was presented at the AUA meeting in Atlanta, nine bladder cancer patients who failed on the current standard therapy were treated with CG0070.  Three patients had a complete response at follow-up cystoscopy, indicating that the oncolytic virus-based therapy has anti-tumor activity.  Joseph Vallner, President and CEO of Cell Genesys stated “We. . . believe that this study strongly supports advancement of CG0070 into a multiple-dose phase 1 trial.  We are optimistic that the dual mechanism of action of CG0070 might result in enhanced local anti-tumor activity as well as potential systemic anti-tumor immunity following local administration.”  For the text of the article, click here.

Cystectomy v. BCG for T1 High Grade Bladder Cancer: The Debate Continues

Friday, May 26th, 2006

At the annual meeting of the Society of Urologic Oncology, held in Atlanta during the annual meeting of the American Urological Association, well-known bladder cancer experts discussed the question of whether T1high grade bladder cancer should be treated by cystectomy or by BCG.  The session was moderated by Dr. Seth Lerner, Baylor College of Medicine, who noted in his introduction that the presence of CIS (carcinoma in situ)worsens the prognosis of high grade T1 disease.

Dr. Mark Soloway, University of Miami School of Medicine, presented the argument for managing stage T1 bladder cancer with intervesical BCG therapy.  According to Dr. Soloway, cystectomy for stage T1 disease is over-treated in 25-40% of patients. But Dr. Soloway also cited data on 319 of his patients who had cystectomy, 30 % of which were not organ confined.  According to Dr. Soloway, this serves as evidence that doctors are currently waiting too long to treat many patients. Better patient selection through re-resection will help to identify patients at risk for progression or understaging.  Dr. Soloway cited the excellent response rates to BCG in these types of tumors and that a significant percentage of these patients would never need to go on to cystectomy.  Dr. Soloway also referred to the data on BCG maintenance therapy and its role in decreasing tumor progression.

Dr. Eila Skinner, USC Norris Cancer Center presented the case for management of stage T1 bladder cancer with cyctectomy.  She discussed the risks of understaging T1 disease and the fact that metastatic bladder cancer is not curable.  Dr. Skinner was concerned that BCG may delay recurrence but may not impact long-term cancer specific survival.  According to Dr. Skinner, the USC series for patients who had cystectomy shows that the survival curves for T1 and T2 tumors are extremely similar.  As such, she felt that these types of tumors are similar and should be treated the same.  For more details, click here.

Screening for Bladder Cancer is Beneficial

Friday, May 26th, 2006

Urine tests that screen for bladder cancer can help people get treated for the disease before it spreads and save money by reducing the need for expensive care, as reported during the AUA Annual Meeting in Atlanta.  According to Dr. Edward Messing, chairman of Urology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, testing healthy men for hematuria—microscopic amounts of blood in their urine—can reduce the number of bladder cancer deaths by 20 percent.  Dr. Messing and fellow urologist, Dr. Ralph Madeb, analyzed bladder cancer rates and deaths for a group of 1,575 men over age 50 who took a home urine test between 1987 and 2002 and a similar group not screened for bladder cancer.  In all, 530 men were diagnosed with bladder cancer.  No one who was in the screening group died of bladder cancer, but 20% of those in the unscreened group died of the disease.  According to Dr. Messing, “I think we have proven that screening for bladder cancer is important and that it will save lives.  We even have better tools now that we can look at the molecular make-up of the cells and see if they are likely to become cancerous.  We need a major study to do this.”  For more details, please click here.

STUDY FINDS TAP WATER MAY RAISE BLADDER CANCER RISK

Monday, May 8th, 2006

Pooled data from six case-control studies suggest that higher consumption of tap water-based drinks may slightly increase the risk of bladder cancer among men.  The study, which appeared in the International Journal of Cancer, was led by Dr. Christina M. Villanueva from Institute Municipal d’Investigacio Medica in Barcelona, Spain.

The investigators found that the increased risk of bladder cancer with tap water consumption was “consistently found in all six studies, making chance an unlikely explanation.”  However, they cautioned that for now, the finding that tap water “is associated with a slight increased risk of bladder cancer” does not readily translate into public health recommendations.

The results are based on 2,749 bladder cancer cases and 5,150 cancer-free controls.  Most of the subjects resided in the U.S., Canada or Finland, with data from subjects in Franc and Italy also included.  The study founded that the risk of bladder cancer was 50% higher in men who drank more than 2 liters of tap water daily compared with those who drank 0.5 liters or less.  Results among women were less constant.

The association between bladder cancer and tap water consumption suggest to investigators that the increased risk may be related to the cancer-causing contaminants in tap waters, such as disinfection by-products.  For the complete story, please click here.

NEW BLADDER CANCER DRUG FAST TRACKED BY FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION

Monday, May 8th, 2006

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted “fast track” designation to Bioniche Life Sciences” Urocidin to be used for the treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer in patients who are not responsive to BCG, the current standard therapy.  BCG—bacillus calmette-guerin—is a live, attenuated strain of mycobacterium bovis (cow tuberculosis), a therapy that is often associated with treatment-limiting side effects.

Fast Track designation means that when data from the ongoing phase III clinical trial with Urocidin becomes available, the company could expect an expedited review by FDA of its biologics licensing application for the drug.  This ultimately means that Urocidin could be available for use by uro-oncologists in patients who are non-responsive to BCG in a shorter amount of time.

Bioniche will be starting another Phase III program with Urocidin.  This second trial will involve approximately 630 patients and will compare Urocidin to BCG as a first-line therapy in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer at high risk of recurrence or progression.  For more details, please click here

HEAVY MARIJUANA USE LINKED TO INCREASED RISK FOR BLADDER CANCER

Wednesday, February 8th, 2006

Pot smokers could be putting themselves at risk for developing bladder cancer, according to the results of a study of middle-aged men who were seen at two Veterans Administration facilities.  Marijuana smoking “might be an even more potent stimulant” of malignancy than cigarette smoking, according to Dr. Martha K. Terris of the Medical College of Georgia.  The study was published in the medical journal Urology.

The study involved 52 men, ages 44 to 60, with transitional cell carcinoma.  88.5 percent of the patients had a history of smoking marijuana, and nearly 31 percent still smoked pot at the time of the study.  According to the investigators, marijuana could be more cancer-promoting than tobacco because it has a longer half-life and because marijuana is smoked without a filter and is held longer in the lungs. The researchers advise that younger patients with symptoms that might suggest bladder cancer, who aren’t usually considered high risk, should be questioned about a history of marijuana use.  In addition, bladder cancer patients may want to reconsider the use of marijuana to treat the side effects of chemotherapy.  For the text of the news article, please click here.

SEX HORMONES AFFECT BLADDER CANCER RISK IN WOMEN

Wednesday, February 8th, 2006

Menopausal status as well as age at menopause may modify the risk of women developing bladder cancer, researchers suggest in the American Journal of Epidemiology.  The risk in men is greater than that in women. Hormonal factors may be involved, according to the investigators, because “gender differences in cigarette smoking patterns, occupational exposures and other differences in known risk factor distributions cannot explain the excess bladder cancer observed for males.”

Dr. Monica McGrath and colleagues from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School used the Nurses’ Health study to examine hormonal and reproductive factors in relation to bladder cancer risk in women.  During 26 years of follow up, 336 women developed bladder cancer.  Those past menopause were nearly twice as likely to develop the cancer compared with pre-menopausal women.   The researchers also observed a significant increase in bladder cancer risk with earlier menopause (age 45 years or younger) compared with later menopause (50 years or older).  This association, however, was influenced by cigarette smoking status.

The investigators note that the drop in estrogen levels with menopause has been associated with bladder dysfunction and frequent urinary tract infections.  It may be “that women who experience early menopause are at an increased risk of bladder cancer because they have recurrent urinary tract infections and concurrent inflammation starting at an earlier age.”  For the text of the article, please click here.

NEW URINE TEST HELPS DETECT RECURRING BLADDER CANCER

Monday, January 23rd, 2006

A new urine test used in combination with cystoscopy, a visual exam of the bladder using a long lighted tube, detects 99 percent of recurring bladder cancers, according to a recent study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The new BladderChek test measures the protein NMP22.  High levels of this protein in urine may signal bladder cancer.  On its own, the NMP22 test has not been very accurate at finding bladder cancers. But researchers thought it might be better than urine cytology at finding cancers that cystoscopy missed.

The  BladderChek test has advantages over urine cytology in that it can be done in a doctor’s office and usually gives results within 30-50 minutes.  It is also less expensive and less complicated than urine cytology, which must be performed by trained specialists in a laboratory.

The study was led by H. Barton Grossman,M.D., Professor of Urology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.  There were 668 bladder cancer survivors in the study across 23 facilities in the United States.  Bladder cancer was diagnosed in 103 patients.  Cystoscopy was the most accurate test, finding 94 of the cancers (91%) all by itself.  The BladderChek test alone found only 51 cancers.  But combining  Bladderchek with cystoscopy found 99% of the cancers.  In contrast, urine cytology alone found only 12 cancers, and combined with cystoscopy, found 94% of cancers, but that improvement was statistically no better than cystoscopy alone.

These results suggest that the BladderChek test could be a useful tool for improving detection of bladder cancer recurrences and reducing the cost of follow-up care.  According to Dr. Grossman, given the high rate of recurrence for bladder cancer, patients and doctors need better ways to find recurrences early so that patient can be treated promptly.  If a relapse is caught early, the patient has a better chance of surviving.  For more information about this study, click here.

STUDY SHOWS LONG-TERM USE OF NSAIDS CUTS RISK OF COLO-RECTAL CANCER

Tuesday, October 25th, 2005

The August 24-31 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association reports on a study conducted at Harvard University that shows that long-term use of  NSAIDS, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, and other anti-inflammatory medications, substantially reduced the risk of colo-rectal cancer. The degree of protection was found proportional to the dosage of the NSAIDS taken. The report cautions that heavy usage of NSAIDS can cause serious
side effects in some people, such as gastro-intestinal bleeding. More detail can be found by clicking here.

« More News Stories      Go Back »