Bogdana Schmidt, MD, MPH

Panelists discuss how they approach a typical bladder cancer case of a 79-year-old man with hematuria, including initial diagnostic procedures, the importance of proper tumor measurement during resection, BCG therapy protocols, and management options for BCG-unresponsive disease with a focus on nadofaragene firadenovec (Adstiladrin).

Panelists discuss how pembrolizumab, a PD-1 inhibitor, offers a systemic immunotherapy option for high-risk, BCG-unresponsive non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) by enhancing the immune system’s ability to target cancer cells, with intravenous administration and careful monitoring for immune-related adverse effects.

Panelists discuss how recently FDA-approved therapies, including nadofaragene firadenovec, gemcitabine, and docetaxel, offer alternative treatment options for BCG-unresponsive high-risk non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), each with distinct mechanisms and administration methods.

Panelists discuss how non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is staged, graded, and treated according to risk stratification, with detailed explanations of low-, intermediate-, and high-risk categories and corresponding treatment pathways.

Panelists discuss how maintenance BCG therapy and vigilant surveillance are essential for sustaining disease control in NMIBC patients, with treatment schedules and monitoring tailored to individual risk and tolerance.

Panelists discuss how timely identification of BCG-unresponsive NMIBC through defined response criteria enables dynamic risk stratification and guides critical decisions about escalating care to alternative treatments.

Panelists discuss how specific tumor characteristics, such as papillary architecture and presence of carcinoma in situ, guide risk-adapted treatment decisions in non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Panelists discuss how precise risk stratification in non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer enables physicians to tailor treatment and surveillance strategies based on individual patient risk profiles.