Dr. Devitt on Utilizing PD-L1 in Biomarker-Guided Therapies in Bladder Cancer

Michael Devitt, MD, a hematologist and oncologist, as well as an assistant professor at the University of Virginia Medical Center, discusses utilizing PD-L1 status in biomarker-guided therapies for patients with bladder cancer.

Currently, the 2 biomarkers that are often used in clinical practice for this patient population are PD-L1 and FGFR, Devitt says. PD-L1 can be utilized in patients who are cisplatin ineligible in the frontline setting to help determine whether they are better suited to receive carboplatin-based chemotherapy or immunotherapy, Devitt explains.

For patients who have either low or no expression of PD-L1, response rates to PD-1 inhibitors are low. Moreover, they are much less likely to benefit from frontline immunotherapy, Devitt notes. As such, a chemotherapy regimen of carboplatin and gemcitabine could be a better option for this patient population, Devitt concludes.