person sitting while using laptop computer and green stethoscope nearPhoto by National Cancer Institute
  • Imfinzi with chemotherapy cut recurrence risk by 32% and death risk by 25% vs. neoadjuvant chemotherapy in muscle-invasive bladder cancer in NIAGARA Phase III trial.
  • Imfinzi plus Imjudo showed significant overall survival benefit in advanced liver cancer patients in a Phase III trial, with one in five patients surviving five years.

Sun Sep 15 14:36:54 -2024 UTC– The results from the NIAGARA Phase III trial suggest a significant improvement in outcomes for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer when treated with Imfinzi (durvalumab) in combination with chemotherapy, compared to neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone. A 32% reduction in recurrence risk and a 25% reduction in death risk are both meaningful clinical outcomes.

ESMO Congress 2024

AstraZeneca presented the results during a Presidential Symposium at the 2024 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress in Barcelona.

These results are promising and could represent an important advancement in the treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Further details on the trial, such as safety data and specific patient subgroups that benefit the most, would be useful for a more comprehensive assessment

Muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC)

Muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is a more advanced form of bladder cancer where the cancer cells have grown into the muscular layer of the bladder wall. This is a more serious stage of bladder cancer compared to non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer, which is confined to the inner layers of the bladder. MIBC is associated with a higher risk of spreading (metastasizing) to other parts of the body and generally requires more aggressive treatment, often involving a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and, increasingly, immunotherapy.

MIBC is considered more serious than non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer because it has a higher risk of spreading to other parts of the body, which often requires more aggressive treatment strategies.

MIBC represents a subset of bladder cancer cases, typically making up about 20-30% of all diagnosed bladder cancer cases.

To put this into perspective:

  • Bladder Cancer Incidence: Globally, bladder cancer is the 10th most common cancer, with around 573,000 new cases diagnosed in 2020. In the United States alone, approximately 82,000 new cases of bladder cancer are diagnosed each year.

  • MIBC Cases: Given that MIBC accounts for 20-30% of all bladder cancer cases, this means that around 114,600 to 171,900 new cases of MIBC are diagnosed worldwide each year. In the U.S., this translates to approximately 16,400 to 24,600 new cases annually.

NIAGARA Phase III trial

The NIAGARA Phase III trial is a clinical study that was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of combining Imfinzi (durvalumab), an immunotherapy drug, with chemotherapy for the treatment of patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Imfinzi is a type of drug known as a checkpoint inhibitor, which helps the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells more effectively.

Imfinzi in combination with chemotherapy

In this trial, researchers compared the outcomes of patients receiving Imfinzi in combination with chemotherapy to those receiving standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy (chemotherapy given before surgery) alone. The primary goals of the trial were to assess whether this combination could reduce the risk of cancer recurrence (returning) and death in patients with MIBC.

Imfinzi, in combination with chemotherapy, reduces recurrence risk by 32% and death risk by 25% compared to chemotherapy alone for muscle-invasive bladder cancer in the NIAGARA Phase III trial.

Positive results show significant improvement in event-free survival and overall survival.

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More news from European Society for Medical Oncology ESMO 2024.

By Lisa Luckas

Lisa Luckas is a Sr. Business News Editor at Nobot.News.

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