Perspectives on the future of urothelial carcinoma therapy: chemotherapy and beyond.
Alberto BianchiMarkus von DeimlingMaximilian PallaufTakafumi YanagisawaTatsushi KawadaHadi MostafaeiFahad QuhalEkaterina LaukhtinaPawel RajwaMuhammad MajdoubReza Sari MotlaghBenjamin PraderePierre I KarakiewiczMaria Angela CerrutoAlessandro AntonelliShahrokh F ShariatPublished in: Expert opinion on pharmacotherapy (2022)
Immunotherapy has prompted a revolution in the treatment paradigm of UC. However, only a few patients experience a long-term response when treated with single-agent immunotherapies. Combination treatments are necessary to bypass resistance mechanisms and broaden the clinical utility of current options. Current evidence supports the intensification of standard-of-care chemotherapy with maintenance immunotherapy. However, the optimal sequence, combination, and duration must be determined to achieve individual longevity with acceptable health-related quality of life. In that regard, ADCs appear as a promising alternative for single and combination strategies in UC, as they specifically target the tumor cells, thereby, theoretically improving treatment efficacy and avoiding extensive off-target toxicities.