Immune checkpoint therapy is beneficial for patients with advanced bladder cancer; however, trials generally exclude patients with comorbidities or uncommon histologies. The SAUL trial demonstrates that atezolizumab is safe and efficacious in a patient population that more accurately reflects the real-world scenario, but its benefit might still be limited in historically poorly performing populations.
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D.P.P. declares grant support and/or consultant fees from Ada Cap (Advanced Accelerator Applications), Amgen, Astellas, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Clovis, Eli Lilly, Endocyte, Exelixis, Genentech, Incyte, Innocrin, Janssen, MedImmune, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Pharmacyclics, Progenics, Roche Laboratories, Sanofi Aventis, Seattle Genetics, and Urogen. T.F.S declares no competing interests.
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Stewart, T.F., Petrylak, D.P. Atezolizumab in understudied populations with bladder cancer. Nat Rev Urol 16, 449–450 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41585-019-0200-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41585-019-0200-8
