Guiding Value of Urinary Tumor DNA Testing in Repeat Transurethral Resection of Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer

NCT ID: NCT07187635

Last Updated: 2025-09-23

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 196 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-07-01
• Study Completion Date: 2027-10-01

Brief Summary

Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) accounts for approximately 75% of newly diagnosed bladder cancers and is characterized by a high risk of recurrence and progression. Current guidelines recommend that patients with stage T1 NMIBC undergo a second transurethral resection of bladder tumor (re-TURBT) within 2-6 weeks after the initial surgery to remove residual tumor, confirm staging, and obtain additional pathological information. However, the benefits of routine re-TURBT for all high-risk patients remain controversial, as many patients may not have residual disease, while the procedure carries surgical and anesthetic risks, physical and psychological burden, and additional healthcare costs.

Urine tumor DNA (utDNA) refers to DNA fragments shed by tumor cells into urine. It can be detected using molecular assays with high sensitivity and specificity, offering a non-invasive method for bladder cancer diagnosis and surveillance. Previous studies have shown that positive utDNA results after initial TURBT may be associated with residual disease and higher recurrence risk.

This multicenter, randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate whether utDNA testing can accurately identify NMIBC patients who are most likely to benefit from re-TURBT, thereby guiding the decision to perform the procedure. The goal is to optimize patient selection for re-TURBT, reduce unnecessary surgeries, and improve patient quality of life while maintaining oncologic safety.

Conditions

Bladder Cancer; Liquid Biopsy; Repeat Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor

Study Design

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

Study Groups

Standard re-TURBT

Participants with NMIBC who have undergone initial TURBT will not receive utDNA testing and will undergo a second transurethral resection of bladder tumor (re-TURBT) within 2-6 weeks after the initial surgery, per guideline-based management.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Second Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor (re-TURBT)

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Participants with NMIBC who have undergone initial TURBT will not receive utDNA testing and will undergo a second transurethral resection of bladder tumor (re-TURBT) within 2-6 weeks after the initial surgery, in accordance with current clinical guidelines.

utDNA-guided management

Participants with NMIBC who have undergone initial TURBT will receive urine tumor DNA (utDNA) testing.

If utDNA positive, they will undergo re-TURBT within 2-6 weeks after the initial surgery.

If utDNA negative, re-TURBT will be omitted and patients will continue guideline-based adjuvant therapy/surveillance as per protocol.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

utDNA Testing (Urine Tumor DNA Detection)

Intervention Type: DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Participants with NMIBC who have undergone initial TURBT will receive urine tumor DNA (utDNA) testing.

If utDNA is positive, the patient will undergo a second transurethral resection of bladder tumor (re-TURBT) within 2-6 weeks after the initial surgery.

If utDNA is negative, re-TURBT will be omitted and patients will proceed to guideline-based adjuvant therapy or surveillance.

Interventions

Second Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor (re-TURBT)

Participants with NMIBC who have undergone initial TURBT will not receive utDNA testing and will undergo a second transurethral resection of bladder tumor (re-TURBT) within 2-6 weeks after the initial surgery, in accordance with current clinical guidelines.

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

utDNA Testing (Urine Tumor DNA Detection)

Participants with NMIBC who have undergone initial TURBT will receive urine tumor DNA (utDNA) testing.

If utDNA is positive, the patient will undergo a second transurethral resection of bladder tumor (re-TURBT) within 2-6 weeks after the initial surgery.

If utDNA is negative, re-TURBT will be omitted and patients will proceed to guideline-based adjuvant therapy or surveillance.

Intervention Type: DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

Participants must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible for the study:

1. Male or female, aged 18 years or older.

2. Histologically confirmed non-muscle-invasive bladder tumor, with no evidence of muscle-invasive bladder cancer or metastatic disease.

3. Histologically confirmed urothelial carcinoma of the bladder or bladder tumor with urothelial carcinoma as the predominant component (>50%).

4. At least one of the following conditions:

1. Incomplete initial transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) or suspected incomplete resection.

2. Absence of detrusor muscle in the initial TURBT pathological specimen (except for low-grade Ta stage tumors or carcinoma in situ [CIS]).

3. T1 stage tumor.

5. Willingness to provide a 50 mL urine sample between 2-6 weeks after the initial TURBT and prior to re-TURBT.

6. Willingness to provide tumor tissue samples for pathological examination.

7. Willingness to undergo genetic testing required for the trial.

Exclusion Criteria

1. Contraindications to transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT).

2. Concurrent malignancy of the upper urinary tract (ureter or renal pelvis).

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Tianjin Medical University Second Hospital

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Locations

The second hospital of Tianjin Medical University

Tianjin, , China

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

China

Central Contacts

Hailong Hu, MD

Role: CONTACT

huhailong@tmu.edu.cn

+8613662096232

Facility Contacts

Hailong Hu, MD

Role: primary

huhailong@tmu.edu.cn

+8613662096232

Other Identifiers

Truce-LB01

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id