Intron A (Interferon alfa-2b, recombinant; Schering Corp., a Subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc.) for treatment of bladder cancer

Record ID 32014000975
English
Authors' objectives: Bladder cancer is responsible for over 15,000 deaths in the United States each year. The incidence is 75,000 cases per year and is rising. At diagnosis, most bladder cancers are nonmuscle invasive, meaning that the tumor is confined to the inner layers of the bladder. Initial treatment of nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is transurethral resection of the bladder tumor (TURBT) followed by intravesical administration of a single dose of chemotherapy within 24 hours. Intravesical therapy involves the instillation of a single drug or a combination of drugs into the bladder through a catheter. Depending on the tumor grade, recurrence and progression may occur after surgery; therefore, adjuvant intravesical therapies and lifelong cystoscopic surveillance are the standard of care. Intravesical chemotherapy or immunotherapy can include both induction and maintenance courses that continue for months or years. The most commonly used agent is Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), a vaccine that stimulates cell-mediated immunity by T-helper cells, which then destroy the urothelial carcinoma. BCG produces a complete response in 55% to 75% of patients with NMIBC and can delay tumor progression and death. Supplementary intravesical agents or alternatives to treatment with BCG are of interest for several groups of patients. Up to 50% of patients either relapse after treatment with BCG or do not respond to BCG. Cystectomy is recommended for NMIBC that is refractory to intravesical treatment. However, some patients refuse life-altering cystectomy, and others are elderly or have comorbidities that make them poor candidates for the procedure necessitating treatment alternatives. Side effects of BCG sometimes necessitate dosing adjustments or withdrawal from therapy. In the 20% of patients in whom adverse effects preclude treatment, other intravesical agents or combination therapies may be contemplated.
Details
Project Status: Completed
Year Published: 2014
URL for published report: The report may be purchased from: http://www.hayesinc.com/hayes/crd/?crd=16574
English language abstract: An English language summary is available
Publication Type: Not Assigned
Country: United States
MeSH Terms
  • Humans
  • Urinary Bladder Neoplasms
  • Interferon-alpha
Contact
Organisation Name: HAYES, Inc.
Contact Address: 157 S. Broad Street, Suite 200, Lansdale, PA 19446, USA. Tel: 215 855 0615; Fax: 215 855 5218
Contact Name: saleinfo@hayesinc.com
Contact Email: saleinfo@hayesinc.com
Copyright: 2014 Winifred S. Hayes, Inc
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