NEO-BLAST: Neoadjuvant Therapy for Bladder Cancer Followed by Active Surveillance vs Treatment

NCT ID: NCT06537154

Last Updated: 2025-07-30

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: PHASE2/PHASE3
• Total Enrollment: 688 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-07-28
• Study Completion Date: 2030-12-31

Brief Summary

Invasive bladder cancer is managed with neoadjuvant therapy followed by bladder removal (cystectomy). Research shows that approximately 40% of patient will have no remaining cancer left in their bladder after completion of the initial systemic treatment, and perhaps could have avoided the surgery. However, currently physicians lack the ability to identify these patients.

The investigators believe that by using advanced imaging (MRI), bladder biopsies and novel biomarkers that detect tumor DNA in blood, they can better identify participants without any remaining cancer after chemotherapy. This will make active surveillance of these participants safer. In this study, participants without evidence of residual cancer will be randomized to active surveillance vs conventional bladder treatment (bladder removal, or chemo-radiation of the bladder). This study will be a pilot randomized control trial (RCT), and if successful, it will transition to a larger phase 3 RCT.

Detailed Description

Purpose To assess the feasibility to randomize patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) who experience a complete clinical response (cCR) following neoadjuvant therapy (NAT), as defined by negative ctDNA, negative bladder MRI and negative repeat TURBT to active surveillance vs standard of care (SOC) with definitive bladder treatment.

Hypothesis The hypothesize is that the combination of bladder re-staging with MRI, repeat biopsy and the use of ctDNA will markedly enhance the ability to identified participant who achieve an excellent response to NAT (cCR) and who could safely be offered AS.

Justification:

Cisplatin-based neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) followed by radical cystectomy (RC), or alternatively in selected patient, a combination of chemo-radiation (trimodal therapy, TMT), are the current standards of care for treatment of MIBC. However, both have significant potential toxicity that can impact quality of life. Clinical trials have demonstrated that up to 38% of patients have a pathologic complete response (pCR) to NAT. Those patients could potentially avoid RC or TMT. Unfortunately, the clinical tools to predict pCR are still considered inadequate and definitive local therapy is advised. Retrospective data and now prospective phase 2 trials have reported promising outcomes in selected patients undergoing active surveillance. A prospective randomized trial is still lacking to ensure non-inferiority of active surveillance over the standard of care.

Primary Objectives:

• Phase 2 (pilot RCT): To determine the feasibility of randomizing patients with MIBC who experience a complete clinical response (cCR) following neoadjuvant treatment, as defined by negative ctDNA, negative bladder MRI and negative repeat TURBT, to active surveillance (AS) or definitive bladder treatment (DBT; consisting of radical cystectomy (RC) or trimodal therapy (TMT)).
• Phase 3: To estimate the metastasis-free survival rate at 2 years among patients with MIBC who experience a complete clinical response (cCR) following NAT, as defined by negative ctDNA, negative bladder MRI and negative repeat TURBT and who are managed with active surveillance.

Research design:

Multi-center, phase II/III, open label randomized clinical trial

After enrolment, participants will received SOC NAT. Blood and urine specimens will be collected before or at cycle 1 day 1 of NAT. Participants will undergo conventional restaging during NAT, recommended to be done at the end of cycle 2. Conventional imaging consists of computerized tomography (CT) scan of chest/abdomen/pelvis to rule-out local or distant progression on treatment. Participants who have successfully completed the full regimen of SOC NAT, and have not been found to have progression and/or metastasis on their SOC CT scan, will then undergo the following intervention for the "clinical restaging" (CRS) (must be completed within 4 weeks after last dose of NAT):

• ctDNA from blood samples collected before and after completion of NAT.
• Restaging bladder MRI
• Urine Cytology and Cystoscopy with template bladder biopsy under anesthesia with or without site-directed bladder biopsies.

Definition of clinical complete response (cCR):

• Absence of metastasis on conventional imaging.
• Negative MRI completed within 4 weeks of last dose of systemic treatment showing absence of VI-RADS 3, 4 or 5 lesion.
• Transurethral bladder tumor resection (TURBT) with or without site-directed bladder biopsies showing absence of high-grade carcinoma ≥cT1 and/or extensive and multifocal CIS. Focal CIS and/or completely resected Ta will be included in the definition of cCR and offered randomization.
• Negative ctDNA

Participants with cCR will then be randomized to either active surveillance or definitive bladder treatment (DBT) (RC or TMT, according to patient/physician choice). Participants who do not meet all criteria of cCR will proceed with SOC and have RC or TMT under the treating investigator's care.

Participants will adhere to the following schedule of surveillance:

Cystoscopy with urine cytology (for those with preserved bladder) every 3 months for 2 years. After 2 years, follow up schedule is at the discretion of the treating physician.

Repeat chest-abdomen-pelvis imaging with CT/MRI and ctDNA at 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months. After 2 years, follow up schedule is at the discretion of the treating physician.

Conditions

Muscle-Invasive Bladder Carcinoma

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

cCR, Standard of care

Participants found to have a clinical complete response following NAT randomized to standard of care, described as "definitive bladder treatment", which consists of either radical cystectomy, or chemo-radiation of the bladder

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Control arm - Definitive bladder treatment

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Standard of care, consisting of radical cystectomy or chemo-radiation of the bladder

cCR, Active surveillance

Participants found to have a clinical complete response following NAT randomized to the investigational arm consisting of active surveillance. They will have have no local treatment to their bladder and will be monitored with cystoscopy, cytology and imaging (active surveillance)

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Active Surveillance

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Participant found to have a cCR will be randomized to either standard of care or investigational active surveillance.

non-cCR, standard of care

Participants found to have residual urothelial carcinoma (not cCR) will received the standard of care definitive bladder treatment. They will received either radical cystectomy or chemo-radiation of the bladder.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Active Surveillance

Participant found to have a cCR will be randomized to either standard of care or investigational active surveillance.

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Control arm - Definitive bladder treatment

Standard of care, consisting of radical cystectomy or chemo-radiation of the bladder

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Other Intervention Names

Clinical restaging (utDNA, ctDNA, MRI and TURBT)

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Male or female >18 years
• Primary urothelial or predominantly (>50%) urothelial carcinoma of the bladder with histologic evidence of muscularis propria invasion.
• Clinical stage T2-T4aN0M0 (Radiographic lymphadenopathy greater than 1.5 cm in short axis by imaging must be proven by biopsy to be free of cancer)
• No concomitant multifocal carcinoma in situ; a single focus is allowed.
• ECOG performance status 0, 1, or 2.
• Participants must be able to undergo pelvis MRI.
• Medically appropriate candidate for radical cystectomy (assessed by uro-oncologist) or chemo-radiation (assess by radiation-oncologist and medical-oncologist)
• Participants must be candidate to received standard of care (SOC) neoadjuvant systemic treatment at time of enrolment (assessed by medical-oncologist): 4 or more cycles of cisplatin-based chemotherapy (gemcitabine/cisplatin (GC) or methotrexate/vinblastine/Adriamycin/cisplatin (MVAC) or dose-dense MVAC (ddMVAC). If SOC evolves from the time of trial design and enrolment, eligibility to any SOC NAT (for example immunotherapy and/or antibody drug conjugate, as per NCCN guideline) will be allowed.
• Adequate bladder function and/or absence of significant urethral stricture to allow cystoscopic surveillance, as evaluate by urologist.

Exclusion Criteria

• Any component of small cell or plasmacytoid histology.
• Prior systemic chemotherapy or immunotherapy (an anti-PD-1, anti-PD-L1, anti-PD-L2, anti-CTLA-4 antibody, or any other antibody or drug specifically targeting T-cell co-stimulation or immune checkpoint pathways) or antibody-drug conjugate (NECTIN-4, HER2 or other) : Participants who have received any previous systemic therapy for urothelial carcinoma or cytotoxic chemotherapy, immunotherapy or other targeted therapy for another malignancy within 2 year of study entry are ineligible.
• No available bladder tumor tissue from prior TURBT for tumor sequencing.
• Prior or concurrent malignancy of any other site EXCEPT for non-melanoma skin cancer OR low risk malignancy not requiring treatment (such as prostate cancer Grade Group 1 under adequate surveillance, carcinoma in situ of the breast, cervix, etc.) AND unless free of disease for ≥ 5 years. Other cancers at low risk of recurrence may be allowed after review by principal investigator.
• Prior radiation therapy for bladder cancer.
• Participants who have received experimental agents within 4 weeks of study entry.
• Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection (defined by current oral or intravenous antibiotic therapy), symptomatic congestive heart failure (NYHA >2), unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements.
• Pregnancy. People of childbearing potential must have a negative serum pregnancy test before general anesthesia procedure and MRI
• No concurrent treatment on another clinical trial; supportive care trials or non-therapeutic trials (e.g., quality of life) are allowed.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 19 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

University of British Columbia

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

OTHER_GOV

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Peter Black

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Peter Black

Professor

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Peter Black, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of British Columbia

Locations

Vancouver Prostate Centre

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

Canada

Central Contacts

Marie-Pier St-Laurent, MD

Role: CONTACT

mst-laurent@prostatecentre.com

604-875-5003

Jacquie Stevenson

Role: CONTACT

jstevenson@prostatecentre.com

604-875-5003

Facility Contacts

Genevieve Moreau

Role: primary

gbaloloy@prostatecentre.com

604-875-4111 ext. 67898

Sarah Charlesworth

Role: backup

scharlesworth@prostatecentre.com

604-875-4111 ext. 69308

Other Identifiers

H23-02447

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id