Substantial developments are under way in the treatment of upper tract urothelial cancer (UTUC). Seth P. Lerner, MD, FACS, recently spoke with i3 Health about mitomycin gel (JelmytoTM, UroGen Pharma), now FDA approved as the first agent specifically indicated for the treatment of low-grade UTUC. In this second installment of his interview, Dr. Lerner, principal investigator of the OLYMPUS study, on which the mitomycin gel approval was based, discusses research advances in the treatment of both l...

Upper-tract urothelial cancer (UTUC) is a rare cancer that often needs to be treated with radical surgery, typically entailing complete removal of the affected kidney, ureter, and bladder cuff. Mitomycin C formulated with a reverse thermal hydrogel (JelmytoTM, UroGen Pharma), recently approved by the FDA as the first agent specifically indicated for the treatment of low-grade UTUC, will now allow some patients to keep a kidney that would otherwise have needed to be removed. In this interview wit...

The FDA has now approved mitomycin C formulated with a reverse thermal hydrogel (JelmytoTM, UroGen Pharma) for the treatment of adults with low-grade upper tract urothelial cancer (UTUC). Accounting for 5% to 10% of all urothelial cancers, UTUC is a rare disease; low-grade UTUC occurs at an incidence of 6,000 to 8,000 cases per year in the United States. Mitomycin C hydrogel, the first drug to be approved specifically for low-grade UTUC, is an alkylating agent, a drug that halts protei...

Despite their known pulmonary, neurological, and carcinogenic risks, electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use has increased drastically in recent years, especially among adolescents and young adults. In a recent study, a team of researchers led by Marc Bjurlin, DO, MSc, Associate Professor of Urology at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill's Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, analyzed the urine samples of e-cigarette users and identified the presence of several carcinogenic biomarkers...

According to the results of a recently published study, carcinogenic biomarkers strongly linked to bladder cancer risk are found in the urine samples of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) users.E-cigarettes contain nicotine, additives, and other chemical solvents that can create numerous toxic compounds when heated. Their popularity has increased dramatically in recent years, especially in the adolescent and young adult population. Between 2017 and 2018, usage increased nearly 80% among high sch...