Cystoscopy

This phase Ib/II trial compares the safety, tolerability and acceptability of intravesical chemotherapy given at home to in-clinic administration in patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. Chemotherapy drugs, such as bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), gemcitabine, docetaxel, and mitomycin C, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Standard of care chemotherapy for non-invasive bladder cancer is usually given directly into the bladder through a catheter (intravesical). This process requires numerous visits and can be disruptive to the lives of patients and caregivers. Bringing cancer care to the patients with in-home intravesical therapy may help reduce the disruption to daily lives. In-home intravesical chemotherapy may be safe and tolerable and may also be preferable to in-clinic administration in patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.

This pilot feasibility clinical trial is evaluating a novel treatment strategy for patients with advanced bladder cancer that is unresectable, has spread to nearby lymph nodes or a limited number of distant sites (oligometastatic disease), and has responded to initial treatment with enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab. Although this combination has significantly improved outcomes compared to traditional chemotherapy, many patients are left with residual cancer in the bladder or other sites, and there is currently no established standard approach for managing this remaining disease or determining the optimal duration of systemic therapy. Prolonged treatment can lead to cumulative side effects and negatively impact quality of life. This study investigates whether adding consolidative treatment-such as radiation therapy to the bladder and metastatic sites or surgical removal of the bladder (radical cystectomy)-can safely eliminate residual disease and delay cancer progression. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to precisely target and destroy cancer cells while minimizing exposure to surrounding normal tissues. In selected patients, surgery may be used to remove remaining tumor in the bladder. Targeted radiation techniques, such as stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), may also be used to treat small metastatic sites. This approach may allow for safe discontinuation of systemic therapy, potentially reducing long-term treatment-related side effects. A key component of this trial is the integration of biomarker testing using circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from blood and urine tumor DNA (utDNA). These tests detect small amounts of tumor-derived genetic material and may help identify patients most likely to benefit from consolidative treatment, as well as guide decisions about ongoing therapy. By combining response to systemic therapy with personalized local treatment and biomarker-driven monitoring, this study aims to improve cancer control, reduce complications from untreated local disease, and inform future treatment strategies for patients with advanced bladder cancer.

The purpose of this research is to determine whether bladder cancer monitoring can be improved by replacing some cystoscopy procedures with urine testing. Specifically, this study examines whether there are any differences in urinary symptoms, discomfort, number of invasive procedures, anxiety, complications, cancer recurrence or cancer progression when some cystoscopy procedures are replaced with urine testing.

This clinical trial tests whether the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided transurethral ultrasound ablation (TULSA) procedure is safe and effective in treating patients with low to intermediate grade prostate cancer. MRI-guided TULSA ablation is a minimally invasive procedure that uses an ultrasound device guided by MRI imaging to deliver high-energy sound waves, producing very high temperature to ablate (destroy) tumor cells in a targeted manner. The MRI-guided TULSA procedure may help patients avoid surgery and help improve prostate cancer patients' quality of life.

This phase II trial tests the effect of giving pembrolizumab in combination with radiation therapy after chemotherapy in preventing surgery to remove the bladder in patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer. Standard of care therapy includes chemotherapy before surgery (neoadjuvant) to shrink or get rid of the tumor. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body's immune system attack the tumor, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays, particles, or radioactive seeds to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Photon beam radiation therapy is a type of radiation therapy that uses x-rays or gamma rays that come from a special machine called a linear accelerator. The radiation dose is delivered at the surface of the body and goes into the tumor and through the body. Giving pembrolizumab in combination with radiation therapy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy may help prevent surgical removal of the bladder in patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer.

This phase III trial compares the effect of adding gemcitabine to intravesical Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG) versus intravesical BCG alone in patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer that has come back after a period of improvement (recurrent). Gemcitabine is a chemotherapy drug that blocks the cells from making deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and may kill cancer cells. Intravesical BCG is a solution containing the live BCG bacteria that is placed in the bladder via a catheter (intravesical). When the solution comes into direct contact with the bladder wall, it stimulates the body's immune system which kills tumor cells. Giving gemcitabine with intravesical BCG may kill more tumor cells in patients with recurrent non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.

This phase II/III trial examines whether patients who have undergone surgical removal of bladder, kidney, ureter or urethra, but require an additional treatment called immunotherapy to help prevent their urinary tract (urothelial) cancer from coming back, can be identified by a blood test. Many types of tumors tend to lose cells or release different types of cellular products including their DNA which is referred to as circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) into the bloodstream before changes can be seen on scans. Health care providers can measure the level of ctDNA in blood or other bodily fluids to determine which patients are at higher risk for disease progression or relapse. In this study, a blood test is used to measure ctDNA and see if there is still cancer somewhere in the body after surgery and if giving a treatment will help eliminate the cancer. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as nivolumab and relatlimab, can help the body's immune system to attack the cancer, and can interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. This trial may help doctors determine if ctDNA measurement in blood can better identify patients that need additional treatment, if treatment with nivolumab prolongs patients' life and whether the additional immunotherapy treatment with relatlimab extends time without disease progression or prolongs life of urothelial cancer patients who have undergone surgical removal of their bladder, kidney, ureter or urethra.