A Tumor Immune Biomarker Guided Approach for Improving Response to BCG in Patients With High-risk NMIBC.

BCG-TIME: Improving Response to Bacillus Calmette Guerin Immunotherapy in High-risk Non-muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer Via a Tumor Immune MicroEnvironment Based Biomarker.

This study is being conducted to establish a novel tumor tissue- and blood-based biomarker test to assess early systemic and local response to immunomodulation by BCG immunotherapy in patients with high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. Responses will be compared between patients with high-risk NMIBC who are being treated with standard of care BCG therapy and those treated with combination chemotherapy. Local and systemic immune monitoring assays will allow early identification of patients who will not benefit from BCG immunotherapy.

BCG immunotherapy is the current gold standard for NMIBC. However, ~50% of patients will eventually experience recurrence or progression. Pre-treatment immune competence of the patient, the bladder microenvironment and systemic immune responses to immunomodulation by BCG govern effectiveness. The investigators intend to utilize a novel tumor tissue and blood based biomarker test to assess early systemic responses to standard of care BCG based immunotherapy as well as alternate strategies to enhance immune responses as measured systemically as well as based on early response rates (3 month complete response or 3 month recurrence). The goal of this study is to develop strategies to identify novel more effective anti-tumor immune responses for NMIBC.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients with an initial diagnosis of NMIBC without previous exposure to BCG immunotherapy (BCG-naive).
• Patients with pathologic diagnosis of Ta or T1 high grade NMIBC with or without CIS.
• Participants older than 65 years of age.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with prior exposure to BCG immunotherapy.
• Immunosuppressed patients on steroids, transplants etc.