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Treatment of metastatic urothelial cancer: opportunities for drug discovery and development
Author(s) -
Sonpavde Guru,
Sternberg Cora N.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
bju international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.773
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1464-410X
pISSN - 1464-4096
DOI - 10.1111/j.1464-410x.2008.07982.x
Subject(s) - urothelial cancer , drug discovery , drug , cancer , medicine , drug development , cancer drugs , oncology , cancer research , bladder cancer , pharmacology , biology , bioinformatics
Conventional first‐line platinum‐based combination chemotherapy with gemcitabine/cisplatin and standard or dose‐dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin and cisplatin yields high response rates but suboptimal long‐term outcomes for advanced urothelial cancer. Salvage therapy is an unmet need, with disappointing outcomes. The emergence of novel biological agents offers the promise of improved outcomes. Neoadjuvant therapy preceding cystectomy for muscle‐invasive bladder cancer provides an important paradigm and an interesting approach in developing novel agents. Patients who are not candidates for cisplatin require special attention. A multidisciplinary approach and collaboration among laboratory scientists, oncologists, urologists and radiation oncologists is necessary to make therapeutic advances. Recent and ongoing trials of novel chemotherapeutic and biological agents are reviewed.