Guzzo, Thomas J.

e13615 Background: Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) remains the standard intravesical therapy for high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), but weekly clinic-based instillations create substantial travel, time, and indirect costs that may threaten adherence. Therefore, we proposed a pilot trial of delivering BCG at Home as a prospective, single-center pilot testing a pharmacy-to-home pathway with digital patient-reported outcome (PRO) monitoring. Methods: BCG at Home is a prospective, single-center pilot evaluating feasibility and safety of home delivery of induction BCG for treatment-naïve, high-grade T1 and/or carcinoma in situ NMIBC. Dose 1 is administered in clinic to confirm tolerability and catheterization feasibility; doses 2-6 are administered at home by Penn Medicine at Home nurses after a 3 month training and proctorship program in intravesical therapy and exposure precautions. To enable transport beyond conventional short post-preparation windows, the pharmacy prepares BCG using a closed system transfer device (CSTD); bench testing demonstrated stability and sterility for 24 hours after connection. A medical courier delivers the prepared medication to the patient’s home, where the nurse receives the delivery and performs the instillation. The primary endpoint is induction adherence (completion of all recommended doses). Secondary endpoints include PROs (EORTC QLQ-C30/QLQ-NMIBC24), satisfaction, and acute care utilization. PROs are captured before and after treatment using a conversational chatbot; domain summaries are assessed at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks. Results: The pilot began enrollment in June 2025 (planned sample size: 20). To date, eight participants have enrolled and completed induction. Median age was 76 years (range 41-88); 50% were female and 25% were Black/African American. Participants lived a mean of 30 miles from the treating facility. Forty home instillations were delivered, and all participants completed all recommended induction doses (100% adherence). Median nurse time in the home was 40 minutes. Five episodes of hematuria were self-limited; one urinary tract infection resolved with antibiotics. Self-efficacy improved from a median of 3 pre-treatment to 7 post-treatment. The median COST-FACIT score was 30 (scale 1-44). Mean EORTC QLQ-C30 global health status was 71 (0-100). EORTC QLQ-NMIBC24 averages showed urinary symptoms rising during induction (23 at baseline to 30 at 6 weeks) with improvement by 12 weeks (18) and future worries decreasing (33 to 25); intravesical treatment issues remained low (5 to 2). Conclusions: BCG at Home is, to our knowledge, the first prospective trial to administer intravesical BCG in the home setting using a standardized pharmacy-to-home pathway. Early results support feasibility, complete adherence, and an acceptable short-term safety profile. Clinical trial information: 07048496 .

PURPOSE To compare patient-reported and clinical outcomes between radical cystectomy (RC) and bladder-sparing therapy (BST) in patients with recurrent high-grade non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). PATIENTS AND METHODS This pragmatic, prospective observational cohort study was designed with patients, who selected and prioritized outcomes. Eligible adults were candidates for both RC or BST, had previous induction Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), and received their last treatment within 12 months. The primary outcome was the EORTC-QLQ-C30 physical function scale at 12 months. Secondary outcomes included other EORTC-QLQ-C30 scales, depression, anxiety, bladder cancer–specific quality of life (QOL), financial burden, and cancer-specific outcomes. Targeted maximum likelihood estimation (TMLE) was used to calculate average treatment effect (ATE) estimates between arms. Inverse probability weighted risk ratios (wRR) were calculated using quasi-Poisson regression. RESULTS Of 570 participants (mean age 71.4 years; 21% female), 371 selected BST and 199 selected RC. Physical function was significantly worse in the RC arm at 3 months; by 9 months, there was no difference between arms, and at 12 months, physical function did not differ (ATE, 0.9; 95% CI, –0.6 to 2.4; P = .22). RC was associated with better emotional function, generic health-related QOL, and financial burden, and lower depression and anxiety, while BST was associated with better bowel and sexual health. Cancer-specific survival was 99% for BST versus 96% for RC (wRR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.97 to 1.01). RC was associated with a higher risk of adverse events and serious adverse events, including a 90-day mortality rate of 2.5%. CONCLUSION Most patient-prioritized outcomes were similar or better among participants who chose RC compared with BST. These findings support the continued role of RC in managing recurrent high-grade NMIBC.

AbstractBackgroundLocal‐regional failure (LF) for locally advanced bladder cancer (LABC) after radical cystectomy (RC) is common even with chemotherapy and is associated with high morbidity/mortality. Postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) can reduce LF and may enhance overall survival (OS) but has no defined role. We hypothesized that the addition of PORT would improve OS in LABC in a large nationwide oncology database.MethodsWe identified ≥ pT3pN0‐3M0 LABC patients in the National Cancer Database diagnosed 2004‐2014 who underwent RC ± PORT. OS was calculated using Kaplan‐Meier and Cox proportional hazards regression modeling was used to identify predictors of OS. Propensity matching was performed to match RC patients who received PORT vs those who did not.Results15,124 RC patients were identified with 512 (3.3%) receiving PORT. Median OS was 20.0 months (95% CI, 18.2‐21.8) for PORT vs 20.8 months (95% CI, 20.3‐21.3) for no PORT (P = 0.178). In multivariable analysis, PORT was independently associated with improved OS: hazard ratio 0.87 (95% CI, 0.78‐0.97); P = 0.008. A one‐to‐three propensity match yielded 1,858 patients (24.9% receiving PORT and 75.1% without). In the propensity‐matched cohort, median OS was 19.8 months (95% CI, 18.0‐21.6) for PORT vs 16.9 months (95% CI, 15.6‐18.1) for no PORT (P = 0.030). In the propensity‐matched cohort of urothelial carcinoma patients (N = 1,460), PORT was associated with improved OS for pT4, pN+, and positive margins (P < 0.01 all).ConclusionIn this observational cohort, PORT was associated with improved OS in LABC. While the data should be interpreted cautiously, these results lend support to the use of PORT in selected patients with LABC, regardless of histology. Prospective trials of PORT are warranted.