UC San Diego Health is the first health system in San Diego County to offer a novel bladder-saving gene therapy to treat localized bladder cancer.
This new treatment is the first and only FDA-approved gene therapy delivered directly into the bladder for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Called nadofaragene firadenovec (Adstiladrin), the gene therapy addresses an unmet need for patients who no longer respond to the long-standing first line of defense – bacillus calmette-guerin (BCG), a bacteria-based immunotherapy for cancer management. Although BCG is a common first therapy, it can eventually stop working, ultimately leading to complete removal of the bladder.
The American Cancer Society estimates that 83,000 new cases of bladder cancer will be diagnosed this year and about 17,000 people will die from it. NMIBC is the most common type of bladder cancer, accounting for nearly 75% of cases. It is a type of localized bladder cancer that has not metastasized or invaded the muscular wall of the bladder.
“The primary treatment for NMIBC has historically involved surgical resection, followed by therapies in the bladder, such as immunotherapy or chemotherapy. Unfortunately, if these interventions were ineffective, the standard of care involved bladder removal, which carries a significant risk of morbidity,” said Amirali Salmasi, MD, associate professor of urology at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, urologist at UC San Diego Health, and member of the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center. “This innovative gene therapy approach holds promise for delaying or even eliminating the need for bladder removal.”
Urologists at UC San Diego Health have initiated bladder gene treatments on five patients to date. The gene therapy dose is administered once every three months into the bladder through a urinary catheter and is a treatment option for any patient who no longer responds to BCG therapy.
Here’s how it works: Bladder therapy is recombinant adenovirus gene therapy, which uses a form of virus to introduce genetic material into a cell. Once instilled into the bladder, it infiltrates the bladder cells and delivers a gene encoding interferon (a natural substance that helps the body’s immune system fight disease) that is incorporated into the cells’ DNA. The bladder cells then express the interferon, which blocks the growth of bladder cancer.
“This promising gene therapy represents an important step forward in the treatment of bladder cancer. To date, progress for patients who do not respond to BCG therapy has been limited,” said Aditya Bagrodia, MD, associate professor of urology at UC San Diego School of Medicine, urologic oncologist at UC San Diego Health and a member of the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center.
UC San Diego Health provides comprehensive bladder cancer care and is consistently ranked among the best in the nation for cancer care and urology by US News and World Report.
“As the region’s only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center, UC San Diego Health is a champion of implementing innovative new therapies system-wide,” said Diane Simeone, MD, director of the Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health.
Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in San Diego County, the highest possible rating for a cancer center in the United States. NCI recognizes centers across the country that meet rigorous standards for cutting-edge, transdisciplinary research focused on developing new and better approaches to preventing, diagnosing and treating cancer.
