Advanced UC is a very heterogeneous disease, and the identification of molecular pathways potentially implicated in carcinogenesis has been an area of research focus within recent years¹

The advent of molecular profiling has allowed comprehensive characterisation of advanced urothelial tumours and further understanding of specific molecular pathways that may be implicated in carcinogenesis, such as TROP-2, NECTIN-4, PD-L1, HER2, and FGFRalt¹

The identification of highly ubiquitously expressed antigens may help circumvent these limitations

High expression of TROP-2⁶

A recent study by Bahlinger, et al. ASCO GU 2023 (N=200 cases) found that TROP-2 is:

• Highly expressed in advanced UC tumours (>93%)
• Not associated with the expression of other antigens like PD-L1, NECTIN-4 or FGFR3

Molecular pathways of interest in advanced UC*

Other pathways of interest:⁷ PIK3CA (17%), FGFR3 (15%), AKT3 (12%), ERBB2 (8%), TSC1 (6%), EGFR (6%), ERBB3 (6%),
NF1 (4%), HRAS (3%), NRAS (2%), PIK3R1 (2%), PTEN (2%), TSC2 (1%)

TROP-2 is a cell-surface antigen associated with oncogenic processes^8,9

• Trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2 (TROP-2) is a transmembrane glycoprotein, calcium signal transducer, involved in oncogenic processes such as cell migration and anchorage-independent growth^8,9​​

TROP-2 is highly expressed in patients with multiple solid tumour types, including:^8–11

BLADDER

BREAST

GASTRIC

COLORECTAL

LUNG

CERVICAL/
OVARIAN

Exploring the science of antigens like TROP-2 could bring new possibilities for patients with advanced UC, without the potential need to select patient populations based on molecular screening