Blood test to monitor bladder-preserving treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer
Official title: Blood-based monitoring of bladder-sparing trimodality therapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer
Funded at Massachusetts General Hospital · NIH-11144446 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will use blood tests to see if cancer cells or tumor DNA in the blood can help guide and monitor bladder-preserving treatment for people with muscle-invasive bladder cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,207,297 |
| NIH project number | 4R01CA259007-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11144446 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with muscle-invasive bladder cancer undergoing bladder-sparing trimodality therapy (TURBT followed by chemoradiation) who can provide blood samples and tumor tissue are ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Patients already scheduled for immediate radical cystectomy, those with non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer, or those unable or unwilling to give blood or tumor samples may not benefit directly from this work.
What this research studies
If I have muscle-invasive bladder cancer and choose bladder-sparing trimodality therapy (removal of the visible tumor followed by chemotherapy and radiation), doctors would collect blood and tumor samples over time to look for circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and molecular changes. The team will use microfluidic methods to isolate CTCs and compare their molecular profiles to the original tumor to find signatures linked to response or resistance. They will track how those signatures evolve after treatment to spot early signs of recurrence. The approach aims to provide a noninvasive, repeatable way to personalize follow-up and decide who may need salvage surgery.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, blood-based biomarkers could help identify patients likely to do well with bladder-sparing therapy and detect recurrences earlier without invasive procedures.
How similar studies have gone: Blood-based tumor markers like circulating tumor cells and tumor DNA have shown promise in other cancers, but using CTC molecular signatures specifically to guide and monitor bladder-sparing TMT is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Miyamoto, David T. — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Miyamoto, David T.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.