FDA approves adjuvant atezolizumab for MRD-positive muscle-invasive bladder cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted approval for adjuvant atezolizumab in patients with muscle‑invasive bladder cancer who test positive for circulating tumor DNA, indicating molecular residual disease.

The new indication is aimed at patients who have undergone surgery and are MRD‑positive, with the goal of lowering the chance of cancer recurrence.

This decision broadens atezolizumab's role beyond metastatic disease and highlights the growing focus on biomarker‑driven adjuvant therapies in oncology.