In a clinical trial, a pretzel-shaped device that slowly releases chemotherapy drugs into the bladder eliminated tumors in 82% of patients whose cancer had resisted standard treatment. For most, the cancer vanished within 3 months, and nearly half remained disease-free a year later. “This new therapy is the most effective one reported to date for the most common form of bladder cancer,” said Dr. Sia Daneshmand of Keck Medicine of USC. The device, called TAR-200, is inserted via catheter and releases gemcitabine over 3 weeks. With up to 40% of bladder cancer patients not responding to current immunotherapy, this device offers a less invasive alternative to removing the bladder. The FDA has granted TAR-200 priority review status, aiming to complete the review within 6 months. (New York Post)
