Dr. David Nanus on Atezolizumab for Urothelial Bladder Cancer

David Nanus, MD, medical oncologist, Weill Cornell Medicine, discusses the impact of atezolizumab for patients with advanced urothelial bladder cancer.

Atezolizumab has already had, and will continue to have, a major impact on the treatment of patients with advanced urothelial bladder cancer, said Nanus. Many patients today present at an older age and these patients can not tolerate combination chemotherapy. Even if they do respond to chemotherapy, virtually everyone relapses, and the median survival with chemotherapy is a little bit over a year for most patients, he said.

Immunotherapy is less toxic, with a recent study showing that approximately 30% to 40% of patients have virtually no toxicity. The drug also provides a durable response for those who respond, sometimes lasting years. It is turning the disease into a chronic illness and it is possible that it may cure some patients, said Nanus.