How I Treat Bladder Cancer in 2026: OncoDaily Virtual Summit

The How I Treat Bladder Cancer in 2026 is a global virtual medical congress dedicated entirely to bladder cancer, focusing on screening, early diagnosis, multidisciplinary treatment strategies, and future directions in prevention and disease control.

Event Details

Date: May 20, 2026
Format: Virtual Summit
Registration: Link to Register
Live Streaming:  YouTube | X

The OncoDaily How I Treat series returns with a dedicated global summit on bladder cancer treatment, bringing together leading oncology experts to explore the latest advances in the management of urothelial carcinoma in 2026.

Taking place on May 20, during Bladder Cancer Awareness Month, the summit brings together leading experts from across continents to discuss current standards of care, emerging therapies, precision medicine approaches, and evolving clinical practices shaping the future of bladder cancer management.

Bladder cancer accounts for an estimated 614,000 new cases and 220,000 deaths worldwide each year, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s GLOBOCAN data. Outcomes vary markedly by stage: 5-year relative survival is about 98% for in situ disease, 73% for localized disease, 41% for regional disease, and only 9% for distant metastatic disease. Although many patients are diagnosed with non-muscle-invasive tumors, muscle-invasive and metastatic bladder cancer continue to carry a substantial risk of recurrence and cancer-related death. Simultaneously, the incorporation of immunotherapy, antibody-drug conjugates, and biomarker-guided approaches is transforming how advanced urothelial carcinoma is treated, leading to better long-term results for some patients.

Program Chairs 

Dr. Maite Bourlon is a medical oncologist, Associate Professor, founder and head of the Urologic Oncology Clinic at Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico. She is also the director of the Genitourinary Cancers Program for Medical Oncologists at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. After graduating from Universidad Panamericana, she completed her internal medicine residency and medical oncology fellowship at INCMNSZ, Mexico.

Dr. Petros Grivas is a medical oncologist and Professor at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and the University of Washington, USA, specializing in genitourinary cancers. He serves as Clinical Director of the Genitourinary Cancers Program and leads innovative clinical trials focused on immunotherapy and novel treatment strategies, contributing to the development and approval of new therapies for bladder cancer. Dr. Grivas is an internationally recognized expert and educator, dedicated to advancing personalized cancer care and improving patient outcomes.

Agenda

Images	Name	Time	Topic
	Francesco Massari Professor Massari is Associate Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Bologna and Consultant Medical Oncologist at IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna. His clinical and research work focuses on genitourinary oncology and advancing treatment strategies for bladder cancer and other GU malignancies.	08:10–08:40 CET	MIBC: Immunotherapy in the perioperative or adjuvant setting?
	Jordan Ciuro Dr. Ciuro is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Medical Oncologist specializing in genitourinary malignancies at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. Her clinical and research work focuses on personalized therapies, investigator-initiated trials, healthcare disparities, and survivorship in solid tumor oncology.	08:40–09:10 CET	Neoadjuvant strategies in muscle invasive bladder cancer highlighting EV+P updates
	Omar Alhalabi Dr. Alhalabi is a medical oncologist and faculty member at MD Anderson Cancer Center whose research focuses on the genomic and molecular drivers of bladder cancer, particularly cell cycle alterations and therapeutic vulnerabilities in conventional and neuroendocrine urothelial cancer. He leads several clinical trials in early and advanced bladder cancer, with research supported by organizations including the American Society of Clinical Oncology.	10:10–10:40 CET	Advances in research and management of small cell bladder cancer
	Helena Kremer Dr Helena Kremer is Clinical Oncologist at Oncologia Rede D’Or Clinical Oncologist at Clementino Fraga Filho University Hospital, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) Head of the Oncology Infirmary at Clementino Fraga Filho University Hospital Rio de Janeiro Hub Leader for OncoDaily	09:40–10:10 CET	Elderly and Frail Patients: Personalizing Bladder Cancer Treatment
	Rao Jianyu Dr. Rao is Vice Chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Chief of Cytopathology at UCLA School of Medicine. His work focuses on cancer biomarker development, liquid biopsy, digital pathology, and AI-driven diagnostic technologies.	10:10–10:40 CET	Urine biomarkers for bladder cancer diagnosis and management
	Bridget Sein Bridget Sein is a market research professional with a background in counselling psychology and a passionate advocate for bladder cancer awareness. As a 10-year cancer survivor diagnosed with transitional carcinoma of the urethra, she brings a powerful patient-centered perspective on survivorship, early warning signs, timely diagnosis, and the importance of patient advocacy in bladder cancer care.	10:40–11:10 CET	From Symptoms to Survival: A Bladder Cancer Survivor’s Journey
	Imene Hadji Dr. Imène Hadji is a medical oncologist with a particular interest in genitourinary cancers, thoracic oncology, GI cancers and precision medicine. She is actively involved in academic and educational initiatives in oncology and participates in international collaborations focused on improving cancer care and access to modern therapies in low- and middle-resource settings. Her work also includes research activities, scientific communications, and contributions to regional oncology education programs.	11:10–11:40 CET	National Bladder Cancer Guidelines in Algeria: Adapting Global Evidence to Regional Practice.
	James W Catto James Catto is Professor of Surgery at University of Sheffield and Honorary Consultant Urological Surgeon at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. His work focuses on bladder cancer research, urologic oncology, and clinical trials, and he has published more than 400 primary research manuscripts while leading multiple major international research initiatives.	11:40–12:10 CET	Muscle Invasive Bladder cancer in 2026
	Sfakianos John Dr. Sfakianos is Professor of Urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. His clinical and research work focuses on urothelial carcinoma, robotic radical cystectomy, translational research, and the development of novel biomarkers for BCG-unresponsive bladder cancer.	12:10–12:40 CET	The use of ctDNA in bladder cancer
	Uddiptya Goswami Dr. Uddiptya Goswami is a Consultant Medical and Hemato-Oncologist at SP Medifort Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. A Gold Medalist with MBBS, MD, DNB, DrNB, and ECMO qualifications, his clinical interests focus on comprehensive cancer care and hematologic malignancies. He also serves as the OncoDaily Hub Leader for Thiruvananthapuram, contributing to oncology education and global collaborative initiatives.	12:40–13:20 CET	Current treatment strategies for metastatic bladder cancer in the era of precision oncology
	Bradley McGregor Dr. McGregor is a Senior Physician in Medical Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Associate Physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. His work focuses on genitourinary cancers, clinical research, immunotherapy, and novel treatment approaches for rare and variant histology GU malignancies.	14:10–14:40 CET	ADCs in Bladder cancer - its more than EV
	Timur Mitin Dr. Mitin is Professor and Director of Quality and Safety in the Department of Radiation Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University. His work focuses on radiation oncology and genitourinary malignancies, and he has authored more than 100 scientific publications in the field.	14:40–15:10 CET	The role of neoadjuvant systemic therapy prior to bladder preservation treatment in MIBC
	Bicky Thapa Dr. Bicky Thapa is a faculty member at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and an Instructor in Medicine with expertise in genitourinary oncology. His clinical and research work focuses on precision medicine approaches for advanced GU malignancies, including prostate, bladder, kidney, and rare genitourinary cancers, with particular interest in genomics-driven therapies, translational research, and early-phase clinical trials.	15:10–15:40 CET	Contemporary Management of Upper Tract Urothelial and Urethral Tumors
	Alexandre Zlotta Dr. Zlotta is the Howard Sokolowski Chair in Uro-Oncological Research and Professor of Urology at the University of Toronto. He also serves as Director of Uro-Oncology at Mount Sinai Hospital and Staff Surgeon at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. His clinical and research work focuses on bladder and prostate cancer, translational research, and international collaborative studies in uro-oncology.	15:40–16:10 CET	Bladder Preservation vs Radical Cystectomy: Who Truly Benefits?
	Fed Ghali Dr. Ghali is a urologic oncologist and Assistant Professor of Urology at Yale School of Medicine and the Yale Cancer Center. His clinical and research work focuses on bladder, ureter, kidney, and testicular cancers, with particular interest in clinical trial design, tumor evolution, and biomarker development.	17:10–17:40 CET	How I treat BCG-Unresponsive Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer
	Gert De Meerleer Dr. De Meerleer is Head of Clinics in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Leuven University Hospitals, where he leads the multidisciplinary management of genitourinary cancers. His clinical and research work focuses on advanced and oligometastatic disease, and he is widely recognized for pioneering metastasis-directed therapy and advancing precision radiotherapy in GU oncology.	16:10–16:40 CET	Place of modern radiotherapy in the treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer
	Steven Seyedin Dr. Seyedin is a genitourinary radiation oncologist and Medical Director of Genitourinary Radiation Oncology at University of California, San Francisco. His clinical and research work focuses on prostate, kidney, bladder, and testicular cancers, with particular interest in integrating advanced radiation technologies and systemic therapies for genitourinary malignancies.	16:40–17:10 CET	Treating Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer with Radiotherapy: A Patient Tailored Approach
	Maria Jiang Dr. Jiang is a GU medical oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Assistant Professor at University of Toronto. Her clinical and research work focuses on targeted therapies in genitourinary malignancies, including bladder and prostate cancer, with active involvement in translational research and investigator-initiated clinical trials.	17:40–18:10 CET	HER2 targeting therapies in Bladder Cancer
	Óscar Rodríguez Faba Dr. Rodríguez Faba is a faculty member in the Department of Urology at Fundació Puigvert and part of the multidisciplinary urologic oncology team at Fundació Puigvert–Sant Pau hospitals. His clinical and research work focuses on genitourinary malignancies, minimally invasive surgery, biomarker research, and risk stratification in bladder and renal cancer.	18:10–18:40 CET	Non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer
	Kent W. Mouw Dr. Mouw is a radiation oncology physician-scientist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School, and Associate Member of the Broad Institute. His work focuses on bladder cancer biology, DNA repair, translational research, and radiation oncology for genitourinary malignancies.	18:40–19:10 CET	Advances in Radiation for MIBC
	Srikala Sridhar Dr. Sridhar is Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto and a Genitourinary Medical Oncologist and Site Lead at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. Her clinical and research work focuses on advanced urothelial cancers, new drug development, and phase II clinical trials in genitourinary oncology.	19:10–19:40 CET	Managing metastatic disease

Scientific Program Overview

How I Treat Bladder Cancer Summit will explore the full clinical spectrum of bladder cancer, emphasizing practical, experience-based management in 2026. The program will address contemporary approaches to suspected and newly diagnosed disease through risk-adapted decision-making, as well as evidence-based strategies for non-muscle-invasive, muscle-invasive, and advanced or metastatic bladder cancer. Sessions will examine structured treatment principles that guide daily clinical practice, including the selection of systemic and local therapies, the sequencing of novel agents such as immunotherapy and targeted treatments, multidisciplinary coordination, and individualized patient care.

The OncoDaily Bladder Cancer Summit 2026 brings together top specialists to translate these emerging findings into actionable, real-world treatment plans. The focus is on boosting survival rates, refining multidisciplinary care, and addressing disparities in patient outcomes worldwide.