Optimal Management of Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer: Recommendations from the International Bladder Cancer Group

Background and objective The management of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is evolving rapidly with the emergence of new perioperative treatments and approaches for bladder preservation. We provide guidance on clinical staging and optimal therapeutic sequencing for patients with MIBC in clinical practice and within the context of clinical trial design. Methods The International Bladder Cancer Group (IBCG) convened global experts in bladder cancer to develop recommendations for the management of MIBC and to guide clinical trial design. Working groups reviewed the literature and developed draft recommendations. This was followed by voting by the IBCG members during a live meeting in August 2024 using a modified Delphi process. Recommendations achieving ≥75% agreement during the meeting were further refined and presented. Key findings and limitations The IBCG recommends thorough clinical staging and multidisciplinary care for patients with MIBC. Contemporary retrospective comparisons suggest that radical cystectomy (RC) and trimodal therapy have similar oncologic efficacy. Patients with pure squamous-cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma are best managed with upfront RC, while cisplatin-based neoadjuvant therapy before RC is recommended for other histologic subtypes. Risk-stratified adjuvant therapy approaches should be used after RC. There are no currently validated predictive biomarkers to guide clinical decision-making in MIBC outside the context of a clinical trial. The IBCG recommends the use of time-to-event endpoints for perioperative therapy trials, and bladder-intact event-free survival for bladder preservation trials, with an emphasis on incorporating patient-reported quality-of-life endpoints. Conclusions and clinical implications The IBCG consensus recommendations provide practical guidance on optimal treatment sequencing strategies in the management of MIBC.