Immunotherapy plus radiation to avoid bladder removal after chemo for muscle-invasive bladder cancer
Official title: Single Arm Phase II Study of Bladder Preservation With Immunoradiotherapy After a Clinically Meaningful Response to Neoadjuvant Therapy in Patients With Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (BRIGHT)
Run by National Cancer Institute (NCI) · NCT07061964 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This phase II test gives pembrolizumab with radiation after chemotherapy to try to help people with muscle-invasive bladder cancer keep their bladders instead of having them removed.
Quick facts
| Phase | Phase 2 |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 111 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | National Cancer Institute (NCI) NIH |
| Drugs / interventions | enfortumab, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, methotrexate, doxorubicin, prednisone, pembrolizumab, radiation |
| Locations | 182 sites (Birmingham, Alabama and 181 other locations) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | November 25, 2025 |
| Main results expected | July 31, 2027 |
| Study ends | July 31, 2027 |
| Registry record updated | November 3, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07061964 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adults with muscle-invasive urothelial bladder cancer who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and have clinical T0–T1 disease (without multifocal carcinoma in situ) on post-chemotherapy TURBT and imaging within the protocol-specified time windows are the intended candidates.
✕Probably not a fit
Patients with persistent higher-stage muscle-invasive disease (≥T2), multifocal CIS, nodal or distant metastases, or who are unfit for radiation or immune checkpoint therapy are unlikely to benefit from this protocol.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This phase II protocol enrolls patients with muscle-invasive urothelial bladder cancer who have clinical T0–T1 status after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and systematic TURBT biopsies. Eligible participants receive daily photon-beam radiation (Monday–Friday) combined with pembrolizumab. The primary goal is to reach at least 70% three-year bladder-intact event-free survival, with secondary endpoints including local recurrence, metastasis-free survival, overall survival, salvage cystectomy rate, toxicity, and patient-reported symptoms. Blood and tissue specimens will be banked for future correlative research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could allow many patients to avoid bladder removal and preserve urinary function and quality of life.
How similar studies have gone: Trimodality bladder-preserving approaches (TURBT plus chemoradiation) are established, but adding PD-1 inhibitors like pembrolizumab to radiation is experimental with only early-phase signals of promise and not yet proven to change standard care.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Participants must have histologic evidence of cT2-T4aN0M0 muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder within 180 days prior to starting neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) * Participants must have had CT chest/abdomen/pelvis (C/A/P), MRI C/A/P or PET within 60 days prior to starting NAT to determine cT2-T4aN0M0 * Participants must have undergone TURBT with biopsy of areas of prior disease and systematic biopsies (left and right lateral, dome, posterior wall and trigone) and radiologic staging showing clinically T0-T1 disease within 60 days after the last dose of NAT. At least 4 out of 5 systematic biopsies must be performed * NOTE: This TURBT must be within 90 days prior to registration. Registration must be within 90 days after the last dose of NAT * Participants must have imaging of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis performed using CT or MRI preferably with contrast. Fludeoxyglucose F-18 (FDG) PET-CT can also be used for staging. If FDG PET-CT is used, then it is at the discretion of the investigator if they want to additionally obtain diagnostic CT or MRI with contrast within 60 days after the last dose of NAT * Participants with lymph nodes ≥ 1.0 cm in the shortest cross-sectional diameter on imaging (CT or MRI of abdomen and pelvis) after completion of NAT must have a PET-CT within 70 days prior to registration. A biopsy in the setting of negative PET-CT is not required unless there is strong clinical suspicion for nodal involvement with tumor. Participants with a positive PET are deemed ineligible unless a biopsy is performed and shows no evidence of tumor involvement * NOTE: For questions regarding the above eligibility criteria, please contact the study chairs in addition to the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) Statistics and Data Management Center (SDMC) * Participants must not have evidence of ≥ T2, or N1-3, or M1 disease after NAT * Participants must not have the presence of small cell, neuroendocrine carcinoma, plasmacytoid variants on any pathology * Participants must not have had urothelial carcinoma or histological variant at any site outside of the urinary bladder within 24 months prior to registration except Ta/T1/carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the upper urinary tract, including renal pelvis or ureter if the participant underwent complete nephroureterectomy * NOTE: Participants with mixed variant histology will be eligible for the trial if the majority (\> 50%) of the tumor is urothelial cell carcinoma * Participants will be allowed to continue PD-1/L-1 inhibitor therapy received as part of standard of care neoadjuvant therapy while they undergo pre-registration assessments (TURBT and imaging) * Participants must have received at least 3 and no more than 6 cycles of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved NAT for MIBC. These include cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy (e.g. cisplatin and gemcitabine \[GC\] with or without PD-1/L1 inhibitors) dose dense or accelerated methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin and cisplatin (MVAC) or enfortumab vedotin with PD-1/L1 inhibitor * Participants must not have had anti-PD-1, anti PD-L1, anti PD-L2 or anti-CTLA4 antibody, any other antibody or drug targeting T-cell co-stimulation, enfortumab vedotin, or any other drug targeting nectin-4 other than for neoadjuvant treatment for MIBC * NOTE: Prior intravesical immunotherapy or chemotherapy for non-muscle invasive disease is allowed * Participants must not have had prior pelvic radiotherapy * Participants must not have received a live attenuated vaccination within 28 days prior to registration * Participants with conditions requiring immunosuppressive doses of steroids (\> 10 mg/day of prednisone or equivalent) or other immunosuppressive medications must not be taking steroids at time of trial registration * Participants must be ≥ 18 years old at the time of registration * Participants must have Zubrod performance status of 0-2 * Participants must have a complete medical history and physical exam within 28 days prior to registration * Leukocytes ≥ 3 x 10\^3/uL (within 28 days prior to registration) * Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1.5 x 10\^3/uL (within 28 days prior to registration) * Platelets ≥ 100 x 10\^3/uL (within 28 days prior to registration) * Total bilirubin ≤ institutional upper limit of normal (ULN) unless history of Gilbert's disease (within 28 days prior to registration) * Participants with history of Gilbert's disease must have total bilirubin ≤ 5 x institutional ULN * Aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤ 3 x institutional ULN (within 28 days prior to registration) * Participants must have a creatinine ≤ the institutional (I)ULN OR measured OR calculated creatinine clearance ≥ 40 mL/min using the following Cockcroft-Gault Formula. This specimen must have been drawn and processed within 28 days prior to registration * Participants with known history or current symptoms of cardiac disease, or history of treatment with cardiotoxic agents, should have a clinical risk assessment of cardiac function using the New York Heart Association Functional Classification. To be eligible for this trial, patients should be class II or better * Participants with a history of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infection must be on effective anti-retroviral therapy at registration and have undetectable viral load test on the most recent test results obtained within 6 months prior to registration * For participants with evidence of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, the HBV viral load must be undetectable on suppressive therapy, if indicated * Participants with a history of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection must have been treated and cured (defined as undetectable HCV viral load) * Participants must not have a prior or concurrent malignancy whose natural history or treatment (in the opinion of the treating physician) has the potential to interfere with the safety or efficacy assessment of the investigational regimen * Participants must not be pregnant or nursing (nursing includes breast milk fed to an infant by any means, including from the breast, milk expressed by hand, or pumped). Individuals who are of reproductive potential must have agreed to use an effective contraceptive method with details provided as a part of the consent process. A person who has had menses at any time in the preceding 12 consecutive months or who has semen likely to contain sperm is considered to be of "reproductive potential." In addition to routine contraceptive methods, "effective contraception" also includes refraining from sexual activity that might result in pregnancy and surgery intended to prevent pregnancy (or with a side-effect of pregnancy prevention) including hysterectomy, bilateral oophorectomy, bilateral tubal ligation/occlusion, and vasectomy with testing showing no sperm in the semen * Participants must be offered the opportunity to participate in specimen banking * Participants who can complete the PRO-CTCAE questionnaire in English or Spanish will be offered the opportunity to participate in the optional patient-reported outcome study * NOTE: As a part of the Oncology Patient Enrollment Network (OPEN) registration process the treating institution's identity is provided in order to ensure that the current (within 365 days) date of institutional review board approval for this study has been entered in the system * Participants must be informed of the investigational nature of this study and must sign and give informed consent in accordance with institutional and federal guidelines * For participants with impaired decision-making capabilities, legally authorized representatives may sign and give informed consent on behalf of study participants in accordance with applicable federal, local, and central institutional review board (CIRB) regulations
Where it's running
-
University of Alabama at Birmingham Cancer Center
Birmingham, Alabama, United States Recruiting -
Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center
Gilbert, Arizona, United States Recruiting -
Mayo Clinic Hospital in Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona, United States Recruiting -
Highlands Oncology Group - Fayetteville
Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States Recruiting -
Highlands Oncology Group - Rogers
Rogers, Arkansas, United States Recruiting -
Highlands Oncology Group
Springdale, Arkansas, United States Recruiting
Show 44 more locations
-
Tower Cancer Research Foundation
Beverly Hills, California, United States Recruiting -
City of Hope Corona
Corona, California, United States Recruiting -
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
Duarte, California, United States Recruiting -
City of Hope at Irvine Lennar
Irvine, California, United States Recruiting -
City of Hope Antelope Valley
Lancaster, California, United States Recruiting -
The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute - West Los Angeles Office
Los Angeles, California, United States Recruiting -
Los Angeles General Medical Center
Los Angeles, California, United States Recruiting -
USC / Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
Los Angeles, California, United States Recruiting -
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles, California, United States Recruiting -
University of California Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center
Sacramento, California, United States Recruiting -
City of Hope South Pasadena
South Pasadena, California, United States Recruiting -
Cedars-Sinai Cancer - Tarzana
Tarzana, California, United States Recruiting -
City of Hope Upland
Upland, California, United States Recruiting -
UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital
Aurora, Colorado, United States Recruiting -
UCHealth - Cherry Creek
Denver, Colorado, United States Recruiting -
Shaw Cancer Center
Edwards, Colorado, United States Recruiting -
Poudre Valley Hospital
Fort Collins, Colorado, United States Recruiting -
Cancer Care and Hematology-Fort Collins
Fort Collins, Colorado, United States Recruiting -
UCHealth Greeley Hospital
Greeley, Colorado, United States Recruiting -
UCHealth Highlands Ranch Hospital
Highlands Ranch, Colorado, United States Recruiting -
UCHealth Lone Tree Health Center
Lone Tree, Colorado, United States Recruiting -
Medical Center of the Rockies
Loveland, Colorado, United States Recruiting -
Smilow Cancer Hospital-Derby Care Center
Derby, Connecticut, United States Recruiting -
Smilow Cancer Hospital Care Center-Fairfield
Fairfield, Connecticut, United States Recruiting -
Smilow Cancer Hospital Care Center at Greenwich
Greenwich, Connecticut, United States Recruiting -
Smilow Cancer Hospital Care Center - Guilford
Guilford, Connecticut, United States Recruiting -
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut, United States Recruiting -
Yale-New Haven Hospital North Haven Medical Center
North Haven, Connecticut, United States Recruiting -
Smilow Cancer Hospital Care Center at Long Ridge
Stamford, Connecticut, United States Recruiting -
Smilow Cancer Hospital-Torrington Care Center
Torrington, Connecticut, United States Recruiting -
Smilow Cancer Hospital Care Center-Trumbull
Trumbull, Connecticut, United States Recruiting -
Smilow Cancer Hospital-Waterbury Care Center
Waterbury, Connecticut, United States Recruiting -
Smilow Cancer Hospital Care Center - Waterford
Waterford, Connecticut, United States Recruiting -
Mayo Clinic in Florida
Jacksonville, Florida, United States Recruiting -
Moffitt Cancer Center at SouthShore
Ruskin, Florida, United States Recruiting -
Moffitt Cancer Center-International Plaza
Tampa, Florida, United States Recruiting -
Moffitt Cancer Center - McKinley Campus
Tampa, Florida, United States Recruiting -
Moffitt Cancer Center
Tampa, Florida, United States Recruiting -
Moffitt Cancer Center at Wesley Chapel
Wesley Chapel, Florida, United States Recruiting -
CTCA at Southeastern Regional Medical Center
Newnan, Georgia, United States Recruiting -
OSF Saint Joseph Medical Center
Bloomington, Illinois, United States Recruiting -
Illinois CancerCare-Bloomington
Bloomington, Illinois, United States Recruiting -
Illinois CancerCare-Canton
Canton, Illinois, United States Recruiting -
Illinois CancerCare-Carthage
Carthage, Illinois, United States Recruiting
+132 more sites. See ClinicalTrials.gov for the full list.
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Leslie Ballas — SWOG Cancer Research Network
Similar studies
Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.
-
ctDNA-based monitoring in muscle-invasive bladder cancer
This study tests whether a blood-based ctDNA test can flag residual or returning disease in adults with muscle-invasive bladder cancer undergoing standard treatments.
-
Shorter-course versus standard-course radiation with chemotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer
This trial tests whether a much shorter course of radiation plus standard chemotherapy works as well as the usual shorter radiation schedule for people with muscle-invasive bladder cancer who are pursuing bladder-preserving treatment.
-
Combining enfortumab vedotin and pembrolizumab with radiation for muscle invasive bladder cancer
This study is testing a new combination of a drug and radiation therapy to see if it helps people with muscle invasive bladder cancer who want to avoid surgery.
-
Combining futibatinib and durvalumab before bladder cancer surgery for patients who can't use cisplatin
This study is testing if combining two drugs, futibatinib and durvalumab, before bladder cancer surgery can help patients who can't take cisplatin feel better and improve their chances of recovery.
-
Bladder cancer: test a biomarker-guided plan after neoadjuvant therapy
This phase 2 study tests a biomarker- and response-guided plan to preserve the bladder in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer after neoadjuvant therapy.
-
Combination treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer
This study is testing a new combination of two medications to see if they can help people with muscle-invasive bladder cancer avoid surgery and improve their treatment outcomes.
How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.