Anne Schuckman, MD, highlights promising new developments in NMIBC

There has been an explosion in innovation in the non–muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) space over the past few years. In an interview with Urology Times®, Anne K. Schuckman, MD, detailed the upcoming advancements that she’s most looking forward to seeing.

In the context of the 3 most recent approvals since 2020 and more coming down the pike, she noted, “I think one of the big challenges right now for NMIBC providers is that that we don't actually know the optimal sequencing for any of these agents.”

As time goes on, she says, we’ll learn more about when and in whom these agents work the best, which will help guide personalized treatment strategies.

Schuckman is an associate professor of urology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Schuckman also said she is looking forward to seeing outcomes from the phase 3 SWOG 1602 trial (NCT03091660), which is evaluating the influence of BCG strain differences and T cell priming with intradermal BCG prior to intravesical therapy for patients with BCG-naïve high-risk NMIBC. Final completion of that trial is anticipated for June 2026.¹

Schuckman also noted the recent emergence of ctDNA, saying, “In [the] tumor marker space, I think we're just on the cutting edge of looking at urine biomarkers and ways that we can better follow our patients, triage our patients, try to limit cystoscopy, or pick up on recurrence earlier. I'm really fascinated by the power of circulating tumor DNA, or ctDNA, in the urine and our ability to use that to guide therapy or initiate therapy in a way that's more time responsive than cystoscopy has been historically.”

REFERENCE

1. S1602: Different strains of BCG with or without vaccine in high grade non- muscle invasive bladder cancer. ClinicalTrials.gov. Last updated April 2, 2025. Accessed June 20, 2025. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03091660