FDA Approves Cancer Immunotherapy TECENTRIQ as Initial Treatment for Certain People with Advanced Bladder Cancer
The FDA approved Tecentriq (atezolizumab) as a first-line treatment for people with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) who are not eligible for cisplatin chemotherapy. The Genentech press release including Important Safety Information is linked here.
This approval is important news for a number of reasons:
- According to the American Cancer Society, it is estimated that more than 79,000 Americans will be diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2017. Up to half of all people with the advanced form of the disease are unable to receive cisplatin chemotherapy as an initial treatment and therefore have a high unmet medical need.
- Tecentriq is the first and only cancer immunotherapy approved in advanced bladder cancer as initial treatment for those unable to receive cisplatin chemotherapy.
- In May 2016, the FDA approved Tecentriq for people with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC) who have disease progression during or following platinum-based chemotherapy, or whose disease has worsened within 12 months of receiving platinum-based chemotherapy before surgery (neoadjuvant) or after surgery (adjuvant), making it the first advance in bladder cancer in more than 30 years.
To learn more about our perspective on important topics in bladder cancer and immunotherapy, visit the Genentech cancer immunotherapy topic page.
