Seminars in Oncology
Volume 34, Issue 2 , Pages 165-172, April 2007

Immunotherapeutic Strategies for High-Risk Bladder Cancer

  • Padmanee Sharma

      Affiliations

    • Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology and Immunology, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX.
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress correspondence to Padmanee Sharma, MD, PhD, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 1374, Houston, TX 77030.
    • ,
  • Lloyd J. Old

      Affiliations

    • Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, New York Branch at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY.
    • ,
  • James P. Allison

      Affiliations

    • Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Immunology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY.

Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC), which is the pathological diagnosis for the majority of bladder cancers, is a solid tumor entity that is responsive to immunotherapy as evidenced by a substantial cure rate documented with the use of intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) therapy in selected patients with high-grade superficial disease. The nonspecific immune modulation that occurs as a result of BCG therapy is not well understood; however, the success of BCG therapy provides a basis for the exploration of mechanisms related to immune responses and the development of novel immunotherapeutic agents for the treatment of high-risk disease. In this review, we discuss the complexity of the immune system and therapies that are considered capable of manipulating it to potentially benefit patients with bladder cancer.

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 Supported in part by the UTMDACC Bladder Cancer SPORE Career Development Award 5P50 CA091846 04 (PP-CDP4), Physician Scientist Program Award and Institutional Research Grant (P. Sharma).

PII: S0093-7754(06)00481-7

doi:10.1053/j.seminoncol.2006.12.004

Seminars in Oncology
Volume 34, Issue 2 , Pages 165-172, April 2007

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