Pembrolizumab with BCG shows 92% 6-month complete response in very high-risk T1 bladder cancer

A clinical study evaluated the combination of pembrolizumab and bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) in patients with very high-risk T1 non-muscle invasive bladder cancer who had not previously received BCG therapy.

The trial reported a 92% complete response rate at six months, meaning the majority of participants showed no detectable disease after treatment.

Importantly, none of the patients progressed to muscle-invasive disease during the observation period, suggesting the regimen may effectively control early aggressive bladder tumors.

These findings could influence treatment strategies for this high-risk patient group, pending further validation in larger studies.