Immunotherapy plus chemo shows promise for rare bladder cancers
NCT ID NCT04383743
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This pilot study tested whether giving pembrolizumab (an immunotherapy) along with standard chemotherapy before surgery could help people with rare types of muscle-invasive bladder cancer. 17 participants received the combination, and researchers measured how many had no cancer left at the time of surgery. The goal is to see if this approach works better than chemotherapy alone for these less common bladder cancer variants.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- pembrolizumab (immunotherapy) and cisplatin-based chemotherapy
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this approach could improve the chance of eliminating all cancer before surgery for people with rare bladder cancer types.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small pilot study with only 17 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The combination also carries risks of side effects from both immunotherapy and chemotherapy.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Fred Hutch/University of Washington Cancer Consortium
Seattle, Washington, 98109, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- A simple blood draw could detect bladder Cancer's return — a trial puts it to the test
- New strategy aims to eliminate residual bladder cancer after drug combo
- Keytruda may let some bladder cancer patients avoid bladder removal
- Scientists hunt for clues in bladder Cancer's surrounding tissue
- Experimental triple therapy for advanced cancers shows early promise but trial halted
- New Drug-Radiation combo aims to spare bladders in cancer patients