VOLUME 21 - NUMBER 3 / July - September (Review articles / Artículos de revisión)
María T. Bourlon, Departamento de Hematología y Oncología, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Ciudad de México, México
Nora Sobrevilla-Moreno, Departamento de Oncología Médica, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología. Ciudad de México, México
Advanced urothelial carcinoma usually responds to platinum-based chemotherapy (CT), although overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival are typically short. Immunotherapy is a promising treatment strategy, but the first-line benefits in platinum-eligible patients are limited, and its combination with first-line chemotherapy has not been shown to benefit OS. Maintenance with immunotherapy in patients with clinical benefit is a strategy that takes advantage of the immunogenic effects of CT, as well as its antitumor activity and safety. Avelumab is the only inhibitor approved for first-line maintenance in patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma that has not progressed with platinum-based CT. International guidelines recommend first-line maintenance avelumab as the standard of care for locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma that has not progressed with first-line chemotherapy.
Keywords: Avelumab. Urothelial carcinoma. Immunotherapy. Maintenance. PD-L1.
