Dr Jan-Jaap Mellema speaks to ecancer about the phase 2 Indi-Blade trial.

He explains that the phase II Indi-Blade trial evaluated a bladder-sparing strategy using induction ipilimumab plus nivolumab followed by chemoradiotherapy in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

The study met its primary endpoint, with a two-year bladder-intact event-free survival of 76 percent and an overall survival rate of 96 percent.

Most patients successfully proceeded to chemoradiotherapy, and treatment-related toxicity was manageable.

Patients who were circulating tumour DNA negative at baseline or after immunotherapy had particularly favourable outcomes, suggesting a potential role for biomarker-guided treatment.

These results support this approach as an effective bladder-preserving alternative to radical cystectomy in a broader patient population.