A recent study reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 55% in bladder cancer patients with a new combination of drugs, CNN reported Oct. 22.
The research, presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress Oct. 22, suggests that an IV infusion combination of the antibody drug enfortumab vedotin and the immunotherapy pembrolizumab extends overall survival by a median of 31.5 months, versus 16.1 months with standard chemotherapy.
The phase 3 trial included 886 patients who received three-week cycles of the new combination or standard chemotherapy treatment. The new drug combination had a similar safety profile as chemotherapies, with roughly 14% fewer occurrences of skin rashes or hyperglycemia than seen with standard treatment.