UC San Diego Health treated their first patient with a new urinary tract cancer treatment which can prevent the need for dialysis or a kidney transplant in the future.
The treatment, Jelmyto, is an FDA-approved drug for adults with LG-UTUC, a cancer of the urinary system that involves the lining of the kidneys or the tube that connects the kidney and bladder.
The drug is administered once a week for six weeks by an injection of mitomycin, a chemotherapeutic, and sterile hydrogel. It kills cancer cells by interfering with the DNA machinery. Each injection session takes only 15 minutes.
"Given many people with this type of cancer are generally older and have other co-morbidities, there is a significant unmet need for a less invasive treatment option, particularly one that spares the kidney," said Aditya Bagrodia, MD, urologic oncologist at UC San Diego Health.