The UK’s NHS (National Health Service) has officially changed its guidelines for the treatment of advanced bladder cancer thanks to new research by Queen Mary University of London.
Until recently, people with advanced bladder cancer routinely received between four to six cycles of intensive chemotherapy, followed by avelumab, a type of immunotherapy, as standard NHS care. While effective, this treatment can often cause severe side effects, including extreme fatigue, nausea, infection and long-term impacts on daily life. New data indicates three rather than six chemotherapy cycles are sufficient, minimizing side effects and offering a better quality of life for people during treatment.
The study, published in Annals of Oncology, included 267 people with advanced bladder cancer allocated to receive either three cycles of chemotherapy, or the previous standard of six, followed by avelumab.
The researchers discovered that the median overall survival was the same for those undergoing three cycles as those undergoing six cycles. Additionally, severe side effects were less common in those who received fewer cycles of chemotherapy, and quality-of-life remained the same—as opposed to those in the six-cycle group who reported a poorer quality of life.
As a result of this research, NHS guidelines have been updated, offering eligible patients a choice between three and six cycles of chemotherapy followed by maintenance avelumab. By halving the number of chemotherapy cycles, treatment and quality of life is expected to improve for hundreds of patients each year, reducing unnecessary side effects while maintaining the chance of controlling the disease.
Data from Queen Mary University of London