Ep. 256 The Role of ctDNA in Bladder Cancer Diagnosis & Treatment with Dr. Alberto Pieretti

Could ctDNA testing allow us to treat bladder cancer earlier, smarter, and more effectively? In this episode of BackTable Urology, Dr. Alberto Pieretti, a urologic oncologist at Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital, joins host Dr. Jose Silva to explore the emerging role of ctDNA in bladder cancer management.

---

This podcast is supported by:

Ferring Pharmaceuticals

---

SYNPOSIS

Dr. Pieretti and Dr. Silva discuss how ctDNA can refine staging, identify patients at risk of recurrence, and guide decisions on when to intensify treatment. The conversation also examines its potential to detect actionable mutations, inform precision therapies, and shape the design of future clinical trials in urologic oncology.

---

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - Introduction
2:50 - Overview of Bladder Cancer
12:59 - Overview of ctDNA
20:34 - Current ctDNA Trials
27:21 - Clinical Implications of ctDNA
31:20 - Conclusion

---

RESOURCES

Updated Overall Survival by Circulating Tumor DNA Status from the Phase 3 IMvigor010 Trial: Adjuvant Atezolizumab Versus Observation in Muscle-invasive Urothelial Carcinoma - PubMed
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37500339/

Perioperative Durvalumab with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Operable Bladder Cancer | New England Journal of Medicine
https://www.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1056/NEJMoa2408154