Terminal bladder cancer patients could gain years more life thanks to a tablet

Terminal bladder cancer patients can live healthier lives for years thanks to a tablet being tested by NHS doctors.

The daily pill, called erdafitinib, is the first new treatment in more than a decade that can extend their survival time.

While some patients have seen their lives extended by months, Professor Tom Powles, director of Bart’s Cancer Center in London, where the drug is being studied, said: ‘We’ve had patients who, several years after they started taking erdafitinib, are still alive. ‘

Experts believe that erdafitinib could eventually replace chemotherapy if used earlier in the treatment of patients with a common genetic mutation.

Each year, 5,000 people in the UK die from bladder cancer, which affects 10,000 each year. If caught early, it can usually be cured with surgery or drug therapies.

In 2020, artist Tracey Emin revealed that she had been diagnosed. She underwent surgeries to remove her bladder and other pelvic organs and is currently cancer free.

However, if the disease spreads from the bladder to surrounding organs, it almost always becomes incurable.

A study to be presented tomorrow at the American Society for Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago is expected to show that patients who receive erdafitinib in addition to chemotherapy see life expectancy increased by about a third, according to preliminary results, compared to patients who receive only receive chemotherapy.

It works specifically for people with a genetic mutation called FGFR — found in about 30 percent of patients with advanced bladder cancer.

For a group that typically has a life expectancy of no more than a year, this means that those taking erdafitinib gained about four months longer on average.

It is hoped that tomorrow’s data will confirm or build on these earlier findings, as experts involved in the study say many patients lived significantly longer.

Prof Powles said: ‘It’s not a cure, but it’s a huge step in the right direction, and patients will stay healthy as long as the drug continues to work.

“I’ve been involved in ten different trials of bladder cancer drugs that aimed to target a specific genetic mutation — they all failed. This is the first success we have had in this area.’

Another study to be presented tomorrow will show that erdafitinib, combined with the immune-boosting drug cetrelimab, is also highly effective in fighting bladder cancer in people with the FGFR gene.

Experts hope that erdafitinib with immunotherapy could soon replace grueling chemotherapy for many bladder cancer patients.

Prof Powles added: ‘What we’re seeing is that, if you have this FGFR mutation, this drug reduces bladder cancer tumors more than traditional chemo.

‘We are entering a new era in which these personalized genetic treatments will replace outdated methods such as chemotherapy. It’s time the NHS started preparing to use them.’