Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40948378›Full record

ReviewCancer medicine2025

Mechanisms, Clinical Trials, and New Treatments for BCG-Unresponsive in Nonmuscle Invasive Bladder Cancer.

Xiaotong Huang, Xuan Wang, Zihe He, Yishu Huang, Bing Hu, Weiying Chen, Haifang Du

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Cancer medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Xiaotong HuangSecond Affiliated Hospital (Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine), Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Xuan WangZhongshan Institute for Drug Discovery, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan, China.
Zihe HeXi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China.
Yishu HuangGuangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China.
Bing HuGuangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, China.
Weiying ChenSecond Affiliated Hospital (Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine), Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Haifang DuSecond Affiliated Hospital (Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine), Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5721-1779

Funding

Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation 2024A1515012150Guangzhou Municipal Science and Technology Bureau 2025A03J4069High-level Innovative Research Institute 2021B0909050003National Natural Science Foundation of China 82304703Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province 2023JJ40641Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province 2023B1212060063
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is the standard adjuvant therapy for high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), yet treatment failure occurs in 30% to 40% of patients. Those with BCG-unresponsive disease face a high risk of progression and represent a critical unmet need in urologic oncology. This review summarizes the mechanisms of BCG failure and evaluates emerging therapies for BCG-unresponsive NMIBC.

methodsWe conducted a comprehensive literature review of clinical trials and preclinical studies through August 2025, focusing on therapeutic strategies for BCG-unresponsive NMIBC. Mechanisms of BCG resistance, regulatory definitions, and results from recent Phase II/III trials were analyzed.

resultsMultiple novel therapies have demonstrated efficacy in BCG-unresponsive patients. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (e.g., pembrolizumab) achieved complete response (CR) rates of 41% in carcinoma in situ (CIS) patients. Gene therapies such as nadofaragene firadenovec and CG0070 induced CR rates of 51% and 75%, respectively. Device-assisted therapies including hyperthermic intravesical chemotherapy (HIVEC) showed 24-month recurrence-free survival of 57.4%. The IL-15 superagonist Anktiva (nogapendekin alfa inbakicept), recently FDA-approved, achieved a 71% CR rate with a median duration of 26.6 months when combined with BCG.

conclusionsThe treatment landscape for BCG-unresponsive NMIBC is rapidly evolving, with immune checkpoint inhibitors, gene therapies, targeted agents, and advanced drug delivery systems showing promising efficacy. These innovations provide bladder-preserving options for patients ineligible for radical cystectomy. Future directions include biomarker-driven therapy selection, combination regimens, and optimized intravesical delivery platforms to improve long-term outcomes.

Indexed as

BCG VaccineDrug Resistance, NeoplasmUrinary Bladder NeoplasmsClinical Trials as TopicHumansImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsNeoplasm InvasivenessTreatment FailureBCG VaccineImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsBCG treatmentBCG‐unresponsive treatmentBCG vaccine replacement therapybladder cancergene therapyimmune checkpoint inhibitorsphotodynamic therapytargeted therapy

Identifiers

PMID40948378
PMCPMC12434483

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.