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Cancers
Special Issues
Immunotherapy in Urothelial Carcinoma
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Immunotherapy in Urothelial Carcinoma

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 191

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Akinori Minato

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Urology, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan
Interests: urologic malignancy; robotic-assisted surgery; laparoscopic surgery; bladder cancer

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Urothelial carcinoma (UC) remains a significant global health challenge, with high recurrence rates, limited therapeutic options in advanced stages, and substantial morbidity. The advent of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has transformed the treatment landscape, offering improved survival outcomes and durable responses for patients with metastatic and muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). However, key questions remain unanswered, including mechanisms of immune resistance, optimization of combination strategies, identification of robust predictive biomarkers, and integration of immunotherapy into perioperative and maintenance settings.

This Special Issue seeks to comprehensively explore recent breakthroughs and future directions in UC immunotherapy. We welcome original research, clinical trials, translational studies, and comprehensive reviews on topics including but not limited to:

  • Real-world data and long-term outcomes of immunotherapy in UC
  • Mechanisms of response and resistance to immunotherapy
  • Combination strategies with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or targeted agents
  • The role of the tumor microenvironment in shaping immune responses
  • Biomarkers for patient stratification and treatment optimization
  • Novel immune-based therapeutic approaches (e.g., next-generation ICIs, personalized cancer vaccines, adoptive cell therapy)

By compiling cutting-edge research, this Special Issue aims to provide critical insights that drive the next phase of immunotherapy advancements in UC. We invite contributions that deepen our understanding and foster innovative treatment paradigms to improve patient outcomes.

We look forward to your submissions and to shaping the future of UC immunotherapy together.

Dr. Akinori Minato
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • bladder cancer
  • upper tract urothelial carcinoma
  • immune checkpoint inhibitors
  • tumor microenvironment
  • biomarkers for immunotherapy
  • combination therapy
  • neo-adjuvant/adjuvant immunotherapy
  • resistance mechanisms
  • novel immunotherapeutic approaches
  • personalized medicine

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

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14 pages, 576 KiB  
Review
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors and Antibody-Drug Conjugates in Urothelial Carcinoma: Current Landscape and Future Directions
by Shugo Yajima and Hitoshi Masuda
Cancers 2025, 17(9), 1594; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17091594 - 7 May 2025
Viewed by 89
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Urothelial carcinoma (UC) treatment has been transformed by immunotherapy and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). This review evaluates the current evidence for these approaches and identifies future directions. Methods: We conducted a structured review of clinical trials, meta-analyses, and guidelines published until early 2025. [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Urothelial carcinoma (UC) treatment has been transformed by immunotherapy and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). This review evaluates the current evidence for these approaches and identifies future directions. Methods: We conducted a structured review of clinical trials, meta-analyses, and guidelines published until early 2025. Results: Immune checkpoint inhibitors have established benefits across multiple settings: post-platinum therapy (pembrolizumab, nivolumab), maintenance therapy (avelumab), adjuvant settings for high-risk muscle-invasive disease (nivolumab), and BCG-unresponsive non-muscle-invasive disease (pembrolizumab). Enfortumab vedotin (targeting Nectin-4) has proven effective in post-platinum/post-immunotherapy. Most significantly, enfortumab vedotin plus pembrolizumab has redefined first-line treatment with unprecedented survival benefits (median OS 31.5 months vs. 16.1 months with chemotherapy; HR 0.47), and nivolumab plus gemcitabine-cisplatin improved outcomes in cisplatin-eligible patients. Key challenges include managing unique toxicity profiles, optimizing treatment sequencing, and developing reliable biomarkers. Conclusions: Combination approaches offer the most promising path forward, with future research needed on resistance mechanisms, biomarker development, and expanding these therapies to earlier disease stages. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Immunotherapy in Urothelial Carcinoma)
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