Dr. Balar on the Approval of Pembrolizumab for Bladder Cancer

Arjun V. Balar, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, New York University Cancer Institute, NYU Langone Medical Center, discusses the approval of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in bladder cancer.

The treatment landscape for bladder cancer has changed dramatically over the last 5 years, according to Balar. The entire field has shifted towards immunotherapy and there are now 5 drugs approved in the second line setting and 2 drugs approved in the first line setting.

In the future, the field needs to look beyond PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies and investigate novel combinations, states Balar.