Intravesical Gene Therapy

Non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer is a challenging disease to treat, with few effective salvage intravesical options available for patients who develop bacillus Calmette-Guerin–unresponsive disease. Although radical cystectomy with pelvic lymphadenectomy remains the gold standard treatment for these patients, there remains an unmet need for other options for those who are unable or unwilling to undergo surgery. To this end, intravesical gene therapy is emerging as a potential alternative with promising early data and ongoing efforts to better understand the mechanisms of action to optimize therapy.