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Perioperative Durvalumab with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Operable Bladder Cancer
Feb 7, 2025, 12:36

Perioperative Durvalumab with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Operable Bladder Cancer

Enrique Grande, Head of Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center, shared a recent paper by Thomas Powles and colleagues on LinkedIn published in NEJM:

Perioperative Durvalumab with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Operable Bladder Cancer

Authors: Thomas Powles et al.

Perioperative Durvalumab with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Operable Bladder Cancer

The trial involved 1,063 patients to evaluate the impact of adding neoadjuvant durvalumab to chemotherapy for individuals with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. 533 patients were assigned to the durvalumab group, and 530 patients were assigned to the chemotherapy-alone group.

Patients in the durvalumab group received durvalumab plus gemcitabine-cisplatin followed by surgery and more durvalumab, while those in the comparison group received only chemotherapy followed by surgery. The study focused on event-free survival and overall survival as primary and secondary end points.

The results showed that patients in the durvalumab group had a significantly higher event-free survival rate at 24 months (67.8%) compared to those in the chemotherapy-alone group (59.8%). This was supported by a hazard ratio of 0.68, indicating a lower risk of progression, recurrence, or death in the durvalumab group. Overall survival at 24 months was also better in the durvalumab group (82.2%) compared to the chemotherapy-alone group (75.2%).

While both groups had similar rates of severe treatment-related side effects (around 40%), the addition of durvalumab did not lead to higher rates of treatment-related deaths, with both groups experiencing 0.6% mortality due to treatment. Radical cystectomy was performed more frequently in the durvalumab group (88.0%) than in the comparison group (83.2%).

This article showed that perioperative durvalumab plus neoadjuvant chemotherapy significantly improved both event-free survival and overall survival compared to chemotherapy alone in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer.