ESRP2 constrains EMT plasticity associated with ZEB1 expression in bladder cancer
Bajdak-Rusinek K, Jankowska K, Sundararajan V, et al. Front Oncol. 2026;16:1764850.
Summary. In a bladder cancer model, researchers found that ESRP2 was enriched in tumors with epithelial characteristics and showed a significant association with improved overall survival (OS; P=0.006). ESRP2 loss led to increased vimentin and ZEB1 expression and downregulation of E-cadherin, suggesting a partial epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) state. ESRP2 overexpression was linked to reduced migration and restoration of epithelial-like morphology, as well as reduced colony number compared to controls. Cells expressing ESRP2 also showed impaired anchorage-independent growth. The proportion of CD133+ cells modestly increased with ESRP2 overexpression, whereas CD44+ cell expression was not impacted.
* PMID: 41982240, PMCID: PMC13070961
Application of the International Bladder Cancer Group prediction model for recurrence-free survival on a national cohort of primary intermediate risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer
Mesinovic D, Bobjer J, Hagberg O, et al. Scand J Urol. 2026;61:127–130.
Summary. Researchers compared disease outcomes among patients with intermediate-risk (IR) primary non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) stratified with the International Bladder Cancer Group prognostic model. Among 710 patients, 329 (46%) were classified as low-IR and 381 (54%) as intermediate-IR. At a median follow-up of 4.2 years, recurrence-free survival (RFS) did not significantly differ between groups (P=0.2). The low-IR and intermediate-IR groups showed comparable 1- and 3-year probabilities of recurrence or death (19% vs 27% and 41% vs 45%, respectively). Similar results were observed in sensitivity analysis of patients receiving serial adjuvant instillations.
* PMID: 41995252
Discordant fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) expression between photodynamic diagnosis-positive and -negative bladder cancer lesions: an intra-patient paired analysis
Shigehisa R, Fukata S, Pustimbara A, et al. Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther. 2026:105488. Epub ahead of print.
Summary. In this retrospective review, researchers conducted intrapatient paired comparison of photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) true positive (TP) and false negative (FN) bladder cancer lesions. Pathological T stage differed between TP and FN lesions in 4 of 7 cases. FECH and ABCG2 immunohistochemical scores were concordant for TP and FN lesions in all 7 cases, and scores were discordant for PEPT1 in 2 cases. FGFR3 was discordant in all cases, with 6 cases exhibiting decreased FGFR3 in FN lesions.
* PMID: 42031129
Quality of life after radical cystectomy: meta-analysis of neobladder and ileal conduit outcomes across multiple assessment tools
Mediana E, Hamid ARAH, Rahman F, et al. Eur Urol Open Sci. 2026;87:115–124.
Summary. Researchers reviewed 19 studies including 2,379 patients to determine the difference in long-term (>12 months) quality of life in patients who received orthotopic neobladder (ONB) or ileal conduit (IC) following radical cystectomy (RC) for bladder cancer. Pooled analysis favored ONB for global health status and functional wellbeing. IC was significantly associated with better urinary function. There was moderate-to-high heterogeneity, with geographic location and the proportion of transitional cell carcinoma pathology influencing heterogeneity.
* PMID: 42028123, PMCID: PMC13101609
Recurrence rate after post-operative two-hour continuous bladder irrigation for primary non-muscle invasive bladder cancer: a retrospective cohort study
Sterner P, Gimbergsson S, Johansson M, et al. J Pers Med. 2026;16(4):175.
Summary. Comparing outcomes among patients with NMIBC who underwent transurethral resection of bladder (TURB) and received 2-hour continuous bladder irrigation with sterile water (CSWBI; n=78) and those without postoperative treatment (n=90), 12-month recurrence rate was similar between groups (27% and 21%, respectively; P=0.5). Furthermore, logistic regression analysis identified no significant association between CSWBI and recurrence within 12 months (odds ratio [OR]: 1.25; P=0.6). Twelve-month recurrence remained comparable when excluding patients with early recurrence (CSWBI: 15%, control: 9%; P=0.3). Adverse events were similar between groups.
* PMID: 42042542, PMCID: PMC13117165
Noninvasive early detection and recurrence monitoring for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer via urine tumor DNA: a prospective clinical study
Wu J, Jin S, Bai Q, et al. MedComm (2020). 2026;7(2):e70592.
Summary. In this prospective cohort study, researchers evaluated the ability of utLIFE-UC, a urinary assay, to detect NMIBC. The utLIFE-UC assay had a sensitivity of 90.5%, correctly identifying 95 of 105 cases of NMIBC. The detection rate was higher for T1 tumors (98.0%) compared to Ta tumors (82.0%) and for high-grade tumors (94.4%) compared to low-grade tumors (82.8%). Detection rates were similar for patients with de novo and recurrent disease, at 90.2% and 90.7%, respectively. Longitudinal analysis demonstrated that positive utLIFE-UC result at any time was significantly associated with shorter RFS. In patients with recurrent disease and positive assay results, the assay could predict recurrence with a median lead time of 73.5 days before clinical detection.
* PMID: 41550467, PMCID: PMC12805463
Comorbidity alterations between time for diagnosis and radical cystectomy in patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy
Oskarsson E, Johansson M, Lidén O, et al. Transl Androl Urol. 2026;15(3):77.
Summary. Among 320 patients with MIBC, mean Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was 4.7 at TURB, 4.9 after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), and 4.8 pre-RC. Mean CCI increased significantly from TURB to post-NAC and from TURB to RC (both P<0.001). Subgroup analysis showed that the NAC-complete and NAC-incomplete subgroups had significant increases in CCI from TURB to RC and from TURB to post-NAC; in the NAC-eligible group, there was no significant difference in CCI from TURB to RC. Increases in CCI ranged from 0.11 to 0.21; while statistically significant, these changes were of limited clinical significance.
* PMID: 41374943, PMCID: PMC12691494
Differentiating upper tract urothelial carcinoma with synchronous or metachronous bladder cancer
Meireles S, Dias C, Marques A, et al. Curr Issues Mol Biol. 2026;48(4):345.
Summary. Among 43 patients with primary upper tract urothelial carcinoma, 29 had metachronous urothelial bladder cancer (mUBC) and 14 had synchronous UBC (sUBC). Immunohistochemical markers and mutational status did not significantly differ between cohorts. At median 32-month follow-up, the sUBC cohort exhibited significantly worse 2-year survival outcomes vs the mUBC cohort (progression-free survival [PFS]: 23.1% vs 52.1%; P=0.029; OS: 40.4% vs 84.4%; P=0.016). Statistical significance was maintained when excluding inravesical events from PFS analysis (P=0.04).
*PMID: 42042005, PMCID: PMC13114334