Review Article Open Access

Pharmacologic Therapies for Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer: Current and Future Treatments

Saum Ghodoussipour , Eric A. Singer , Ilana P. Goldberg , Benjamin Lichtbroun

Bladder cancer is the sixth most common malignancy in the United States and 70% of cases are non-muscle invasive at the time of diagnosis. Effective treatment is crucial to prevent progression, which occurs in about 30% of patients. The American Urological Association (AUA) guidelines recommend treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with intravesical Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and chemotherapy.

Review Article Open Access

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in the Management of Urothelial Carcinoma

Tina Mayer , Saum Ghodoussipour , Hiren V. Patel , Eric A. Singer , Daniel I. Bisn , Biren Saraiya , Aakash Patel

Bladder cancer is one of the most common and expensive cancers in the United States, with an expected 81,400 new cases and 17,980 deaths in 2020 alone. The incidence is increased among white men and diagnoses often occur in the 7th decade of life.

Review Article Open Access

The Role of Tumor and Host Microbiome on Immunotherapy Response in Urologic Cancers

Biren Saraiya , Jake Drobner , John Pfail , Krishna Doppalapudi , Saum Ghodoussipour , Vignesh T. Packiam

The role of the microbiome in the development and treatment of genitourinary malignancies is just starting to be appreciated. Accumulating evidence suggests that the microbiome can modulate immunotherapy through signaling in the highly dynamic tumor microenvironment. Nevertheless, much is still unknown about the immuno-oncology-microbiome axis, especially in urologic oncology. The objective of this review is to synthesize our current understanding of the microbiome’s role in modulating and predicting immunotherapy response to genitourinary malignancies.

Review Article Open Access

Targeted Therapy in Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer-Clinical Updates

David Golombos , John Pfail , Rachel Passarelli , Saum Ghodoussipour , Thomas L. Jang , Vignesh T. Packiam

Non muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) comprises almost 75% of all bladder cancer (BC) diagnoses. Longstanding intravesical treatment options include chemotherapy or Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG). However, despite these treatment options, there is a high rate of relapse for NMIBC patients, reaching up to 40-50% for patients with high risk disease. Radical cystectomy is recommended by guideline committees for patients with high risk NMIBC and for patients who fail intravesical treatment options