Dr Powles talks to ecancer at ASCO 2025 about data he presented from a subgroup analysis within the Phase 3 CREST study.

This study added PD-1 inhibitor sasanlimab to BCG therapy (both induction and maintenance) for BCG-naive high-risk non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer, improving event-free survival. 

This exploratory analysis focused on EFS outcomes by baseline disease stage (CIS and T1 tumours).

For patients with carcinoma in situ (CIS), 3-year EFS was 83.0% with sasanlimab + BCG vs 71.8% with BCG alone.

For those with T1 tumors, 3-year EFS was 81.3% with the combination vs 72.2% with BCG alone.

Median follow-up was over 36 months in both arms.

The results indicate that sasanlimab plus BCG improves outcomes in high-risk NMIBC patients, including those with CIS or T1 tumours, suggesting potential for changing practice.