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Imfinzi improved DFS in early bladder cancer
Imfinzi improved DFS in early bladder cancer.
About this update from Astrazeneca Plc
[{"type":"text","content":"\n\n09 May 2025\n \nImfinzi regimen demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in disease-free survival for high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer in POTOMAC Phase III trial \n \nPatients lived significantly longer without high-risk disease recurrence or progression after one year of Imfinzi treatment plus Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) induction and maintenance therapy vs. BCG alone \n \nPositive high-level results from the POTOMAC Phase III trial showed one year of treatment with AstraZeneca's Imfinzi (durvalumab) plus standard-of-care BCG induction and maintenance therapy demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in disease-free survival (DFS) for patients with high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) compared to BCG induction and maintenance therapy alone. \n \nThe trial was not statistically powered to formally test overall survival (OS) however a descriptive analysis demonstrated no detriment. \n \nMore than 70% of bladder cancer patients are diagnosed with NMIBC, an early-stage cancer where the tumour is in the tissue that lines the inner surface of the bladder but has not invaded the muscle wall.1-2 About half of patients with NMIBC are classified as high-risk for disease progression or recurrence because of certain characteristics of their cancer, such as tumour grade, stage and specific tumour features.3 \n \nMaria De Santis, MD, Head of the Interdisciplinary Uro-Oncology Section at Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany, and a principal investigator in the POTOMAC trial, said: \"These exciting data show that adding one year of durvalumab to the current standard treatment significantly extends the time patients live without high-risk disease recurrence or progression. While most patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer are treated with curative intent, 80 per cent see their disease return and almost half may require life-altering surgery to remove the bladder, underscoring the urgent need to improve treatment.\" \n \nCristian Massacesi, Chief Medical Officer and Oncology Chief Development Officer, AstraZeneca, said: \"The positive results for Imfinzi in the POTOMAC trial represent a significant advance that will potentially allow more patients with ea...