From May 15 through May 18, the American Urological Association (AUA) hosted its 2026 annual conference in Washington, DC. For four days, the 2026 AUA Annual Meeting explored the latest advances in urologic medicine presented by leaders of the global urologic community.

Today’s recap showcases some of the hundreds of abstracts presented at the conference, specifically abstracts focusing on bladder cancer topics. Descriptions and conclusions have been edited for clarity or brevity. To view the most complete version of the following abstracts, along with all the others presented at the conference, visit the official AUA 2026 abstracts page.

Bladder Cancer Abstracts from AUA 2026

Effect of High-Fat Diet on Radiation Response in Bladder Cancer: An In Vivo Study

  • Description: Obesity and high-fat diets (HFD) have been associated with tumor progression, immune modulation and reduced responsive to various therapies, including radiotherapy (RT). However, their specific influence on radiation response in bladder cancer remains underexplored. [The researchers’] objective was to investigate the impact of a HFD on tumor growth and RT efficacy in a murine model.
  • Conclusion: A HFD appears to attenuate the therapeutic efficacy of RT in an in vivo bladder cancer murine model. These findings suggest the hypothesis that dietary factors modulate tumor response to radiation and may have implications for treatment strategies in patients.

Predicting Cancer-Specific Mortality in Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: Comparative Performance of AUA vs EUA Risk Classifications

  • Description: Risk stratification in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) traditionally focuses on recurrence and progression, as in the European Association of Urology (EAU) and American Urological Association (AUA) classifications. Since these events ultimately drive cancer-specific mortality (CSM), assessing their ability to predict CSM may refine patient counseling and follow-up. [The researchers] compared the accuracy of these models in predicting CSM.
  • Conclusion: Although developed to predict recurrence and progression, both models provide prognostic insight into CSM. The EAU classification showed superior accuracy compared with the AUA system, supporting its broader prognostic utility in NMIBC.

Phase 1/2 Study of an Anti-PD-L1/Il-15 Variant Fusion Protein (SIM0237) In BCG-Unresponsive High-Risk Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC)

  • Description: Treatment options for BCG-unresponsive (UR) NMIBC are limited. Anti-PD-1 monotherapy and IL-15 agonist in combination with BCG have shown clinical efficacy in BCG-UR carcinoma in situ (CIS) NMIBC. It remains unclear whether targeting both PD-(L)1 and IL-15 has synergistic effect in NMIBC.
  • Conclusion: Intravesical SIM0237 was safe and well tolerated with promising clinical efficacy in patients with BCG-UR high-risk NMIBC. The Phase 3 study of SIM0237 monotherapy in this patient population is under plan.

Impact of Socioeconomic Determinants of Health on Treatment Timelines in Bladder Cancer: An Analysis of the National Cancer Database

  • Description: The impact of demographic and socioeconomic determinants on delays to cancer care for those with bladder cancer is not well studied. [The researchers’] objective was to analyze the relationship between socioeconomic determinants of health and treatment delay in bladder cancer patients.
  • Conclusion: Overall, 17.2% of bladder cancer patients experienced treatment delay. Patients older than 70 years, males, black individuals, individuals with a median income less than $46,277, patients in the lower two education quartiles, those claiming government insurance, and patients with greater comorbid scores were observed more in the treatment delay group. Logistic regression analysis revealed that older age (OR: 1.235), black individuals (OR:1.346), and higher comorbid score (OR: 1.309) had higher odds, and higher education level and female patients (0.799) had lower odds of delayed treatment.

Level of Circulating Cell-Free DNA in Urinary Bladder Cancer After Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumour: A Prospective Observational Study

  • Description: Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has emerged as a promising minimally invasive biomarker for cancer detection, treatment response, and post-treatment surveillance. This study aimed to measure changes in cfDNA levels before and after TURBT in patients with newly diagnosed primary bladder cancer and to correlate these changes with tumor grade, stage, and pathological characteristics.
  • Conclusion: cfDNA levels appear influenced predominantly by tumor biology, including grade and stage rather than the TURBT procedure itself. cfDNA demonstrates potential as a non-invasive biomarker reflecting tumor aggressiveness and may complement histopathologic assessment in bladder cancer management.

A Composite Biomarker Approach to Withhold Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Select Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer Patients

  • Description: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) prior to radical cystectomy (RC) is recommended for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). However, [the researchers] propose a composite biomarker approach of circulating tumor cell status and gene expression to select patients in whom NAC may be omitted.
  • Conclusion: [The researchers] identified a biomarker-defined subgroup of MIBC with more favorable outcomes after RC alone. These findings support the future prospective validation of CTC and molecular subtyping as a tool to guide NAC selection.

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