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Introduction

The overall incidence of bladder cancer in the seven major markets is forecast to exceed 160,000 by the end of 2008. Treatment of bladder cancer employs mainly immunotherapy and chemotherapy. However, both these methods are ineffective in improving long-term survival. Thus, there is a lucrative commercial opportunity for drug developers to enter this market, especially in the metastatic setting.

Scope

• Current diagnosis and treatment of bladder cancer, including treatment regimens by stage and geographical location
• Issues in diagnosis, treatment strategies and unmet needs
• Examination of pipeline activity and potential future opportunities for drug developers
• Stakeholder opinions based on qualitative interviews with five opinion leaders from the US and Europe

Highlights

Discovery of more effective systemic therapies is crucial for the treatment of patients with advanced or metastatic disease as current therapies have little impact on survival.

BCG therapy, the current standard treatment for non-invasive bladder cancer has limited use in patients who experience multiple recurrences. Patients who become refractory or intolerant to further BCG treatment have few options. There is therefore a large patient potential for drugs that can replace BCG or treat BCG-refractory patients.

Bladder cancer therapy consists of cytotoxics and immunotherapy agents that have been genericized for many years. Late-stage pipeline drugs consist of targeted therapies and cytotoxics including Urocidin and EOquin. Some late stage drugs have demonstrated favourable efficacy in trials and look to fill some of the unmet needs in bladder cancer.

Reasons to Purchase

• Understand the pathology and epidemiology of bladder cancer
• Understand the limitations of current bladder cancer treatment
• Obtain insight into the commercial opportunities available in the bladder cancer market

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