New horizons in bladder cancer research

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Genetics
• Urology

Background:

• The 16th International Bladder Cancer Network (IBCN) meeting convened in Rotterdam, Netherlands, focusing on muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC).
• MIBC has seen rapid evolution, making it a central topic for advancing bladder cancer research.
• The IBCN serves as a crucial interdisciplinary forum for discussing bladder cancer research and fostering consensus.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present and discuss recent advancements in basic and clinical bladder cancer research.
• To focus on genomic subtyping and the identification of novel therapeutic targets in MIBC.
• To facilitate discussion and consensus-building on discrepant research findings in bladder cancer.

Main Methods:

• Presentations on genomic subtyping, novel therapeutic targets, immunotherapy, and biomarker research in MIBC.
• Keynote lectures on MIBC genomics, the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project, and chemokines in metastasis.
• Debates on urologists administering immune checkpoint inhibitors and the role of molecular classification versus traditional histology.

Main Results:

• Regulons may correlate with prognosis and potentially replace gene expression analysis in MIBC.
• Molecular classification offers valuable insights but cannot yet replace traditional histology for bladder tumors.
• Tumor heterogeneity in bladder cancer, including genomic, transcriptomic, spatial, and temporal aspects, was a significant discussion point.

Conclusions:

• The IBCN meeting successfully fostered interdisciplinary collaboration and discussion on bladder cancer research.
• Consensus on molecular classification for MIBC is progressing, with a proposed 6-class system.
• Continued collaboration through IBCN meetings and its journal is vital for advancing bladder cancer management.