Bladder Cancer Patient-derived Organoids and Avatars for Personalized Cancer Discovery

Prediction of treatment response has attracted growing attention in cancer research to improve clinical outcomes via individualized treatment regimens. Patient-derived organoids and xenografts are novel preclinical model systems that recapitulate the genetic and phenotypic features of parental tumors for this purpose. Organoid culture has been successfully established in multiple cancers and used for assessment of drug and immunotherapy responses. Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models provide insights into in vivo tumor growth and metastatic potential. Continued improvements in these model systems to better maintain tumor architecture and microenvironment will advance patient-specific targeted therapies. Patient summary This mini review describes up-to-date organoid and xenograft models of bladder cancer created using patient-derived tissue. These models are important for research and may provide information on mutations and expression patterns for cancer-related genes that are unique to each patient, and could facilitate personalized therapy for individual patients.