A world-first trial by Western Australian researchers has shown that a potential new method for treating bladder cancer is safe.
Led by University of Western Australia Professor Dickon Hayne, Head of Urology at South Metropolitan Health Service, the trial looked at the feasibility of injecting an immunotherapy drug called Durvalumab directly into the bladder wall.
A first-in-human trial, the results were published in the British Journal of Urology International in March which showed the procedure was safe, effective and even showed signs of an immune response.
Prof Hayne said the results showed the procedure could be effective in early-stage treatment for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).
“The goal of this study was to see if it was feasible and safe to give the drug directly to the bladder to reduce the chance of side effects,” he said.
“It is super exciting because it is a genuinely new approach that hasn’t been explored so far.”
Durvalumab has previously been used to treat cancers, including bladder cancer, that have spread and has shown signs of halting the disease’s progression.
The drug, called a checkpoint inhibitor, works by stimulating the body’s immune system to kill cancer cells and is usually administered through a vein.
However, this can cause a number of side effects as the drug effects the whole body, and only a fraction of the dose actually reaches the bladder.
NMIBC is currently treated either by surgery to remove the cancer or by chemotherapy and immunotherapy, called BCG, directly into the bladder via catheter to slow its progression.
However, for high-risk patients or patients that don’t respond to these treatments, total removal of the bladder is the only option.
While effective, Prof Hayne said it overtreats a significant number of patients and so alternatives that prevent bladder removal are needed.
“We are always looking for treatments which can help to treat the cancer without having to remove the bladder or do major surgery,” he said.
The trial was co-funded by Spinnaker Health Research Foundation and the Australian and New Zealand Urogenital and Prostate Cancer Trials Group.
It is now well positioned to move into phase two clinical trials.
