Aim: To assess physician-reported treatment of metastatic bladder cancer in Japan. Methods: 76 physicians completed the CancerMPact® survey in July 2020, considering patients treated within 6 months. Results: Physicians treated a mean of 38.1 patients per month. Of cisplatin-eligible and -ineligible patients, 97.6 and 89.3%, respectively, received first-line platinum-based therapy, most commonly cisplatin plus gemcitabine (72.9%) and carboplatin plus gemcitabine (59.7%). 1.6 and 5.6% received first-line immune checkpoint inhibitors, respectively. 48.4 and 45.0%, respectively, progressed and received second-line therapy, most commonly with pembrolizumab (61.7%). Conclusion: In 2020, most patients with metastatic bladder cancer in Japan received first-line platinum-based chemotherapy; however, >50% received no subsequent treatment, highlighting the need for new treatment regimens to improve outcomes and maximize first-line treatment benefits.
Keywords: bladder cancer; chemotherapy; cisplatin eligible; cisplatin ineligible; immunotherapy; metastatic; physician-reported outcomes; survey.
In 2020, researchers surveyed 76 Japanese doctors who specialized in bladder and urinary system disorders about how they treated people with bladder cancer. Cisplatin, a type of chemotherapy drug, was the most common first treatment. For people who were unable to receive cisplatin, doctors often prescribed a similar chemotherapy drug called carboplatin. Just under half of the people received a second treatment for their cancer. New treatments are now available for bladder cancer, including the immunotherapy drug avelumab, which is given to people whose cancer stops growing or shrinks with their first chemotherapy treatment. More research is needed to better understand how bladder cancer is treated in Japan, including how new treatments are used.