About this trial
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether a combination of two chemotherapy drugs, Gemcitabine and Docetaxel, can treat high-grade non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (HG-NMIBC) in adults whose cancer failed conventional BCG therapy. The drugs are given directly into the bladder (intravesically), one immediately after the other.
The study will also assess the safety of this treatment.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
Can this drug combination effectively treat HG-NMIBC that did not respond to BCG and help prevent the cancer from coming back, offering long-term protection? What side effects or medical issues do participants experience during treatment?
Researchers will evaluate this non-surgical approach as a potential alternative to bladder removal surgery (radical cystectomy), with the goal of validating it as a bladder-sparing option in this setting.
Participants will:
* Go through a screening process, including tumor removal and imaging tests * Receive weekly bladder treatments with Gemcitabine followed by Docetaxel for 6 weeks * If the cancer responds, continue with similar once monthly treatments (maintenance therapy) for up to 2 years * Attend regular check-ups, including bladder exams, urine tests, biopsies, and optional quality-of-life surveys * Possibly receive a second 6-week treatment cycle if the cancer returns early * Be followed for up to 5 years to monitor long-term outcomes
Eligibility criteria
Qualifiers
Carcinoma in situ (CIS), with or without non-muscle-invasive stage Ta or T1 tumors of any grade.
High-Grade Papillary tumors (stages Ta and/or T1) without CIS.
All visible bladder tumors must be completely resected within 8 weeks prior to initiating intravesical Gem/Doce therapy.
If more than 8 weeks have passed since diagnosis or resection of index bladder CIS ± non-invasive tumor (pTa or T1 tumors), an office cystoscopy must be performed within 8 weeks of Gem/Doce initiation to confirm no visible tumor regrowth.
Disqualifiers
History or concurrent Stage T2 or greater urothelial cancer.
History or concurrent upper tract or prostatic urethral cancer (no suspicious or positive upper tract cytology and negative upper tract imaging within 6 months of study entry; visually normal or absent prostatic urethra by cystoscopy).
History or concurrent variant bladder cancer histology including squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, small cell carcinoma, plasmacytoid carcinoma, nested urothelial carcinoma, sarcomatoid carcinoma, squamous, glandular, metastatic carcinoma and others. Select urothelial carcinoma with favorable micropapillary differentiation is permitted (see above).
Active other malignancies excluding indolent or well-controlled prostate cancer, basal or squamous cell skin cancers or non-invasive cancer of the cervix are permitted so long as they are not expected to impact 3-year survival outcomes.
Trial design
Treatments tested in this trial
- Intravesical Gemcitabine and Docetaxel
Treatment groups
Sponsors and collaborators
Michael A. O'Donnell
Lead sponsor
University of Iowa
Sponsor institution