NHS greenlights durvalumab for muscle-invasive bladder cancer

Durvalumab has been given the greenlight to be rolled out on the NHS for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Studies show durvalumab can halt progression of the muscle-invasive form of the disease and prevent further hospitalisation. A landmark trial of durvalumab on more than 1,000 patients found there was a 32 per cent reduction in the risk for progression compared with standard care.

Under the new recommended regimen, durvalumab is administered alongside chemotherapy before radical cystectomy – the complete removal of the bladder – and continued after surgery. Approximately 630 patients a year are expected to be eligible for the therapy.

Muscle-invasive bladder cancer is a more advanced stage of the disease, when cancer cells have penetrated the muscle lining of the organ. Around 18,000 people a year are diagnosed with bladder cancer and an estimated one in four have muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Despite current treatments, about half of patients experience recurrence or progression within five years.

Doctors who have used the drug as part of the trial have said that the new standard of care means more patients will be cured from the hard-to-treat cancer. Experts said access to innovative treatments that can improve survival is crucial for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer.