Recent animal models of bladder cancer and their application in drug discovery: an update of the literature.

Introduction: Bladder cancer presents a significant health problem worldwide, with environmental and genetic factors contributing to its incidence. Histologically, it can be classified as carcinoma in situ, non-muscle invasive and muscle-invasive carcinoma, each one with distinct genetic alterations impacting prognosis and response to therapy. While traditional transurethral resection is commonly performed in carcinoma in situ and non-muscle invasive carcinoma, it often fails to prevent recurrence or progression to more aggressive phenotypes, leading to the frequent need for additional treatment such as intravesical chemotherapy or immunotherapy. Despite the advances made in recent years, treatment options for bladder cancer are still lacking due to the complex nature of this disease. So, animal models may hold potential for addressing these limitations, because they not only allow the study of disease progression but also the evaluation of therapies and the investigation of drug repositioning.

Areas covered: This review discusses the use of animal models over the past decade, highlighting key discoveries and discussing advantages and disadvantages for new drug discovery.

Expert opinion: Over the past decade animal models have been employed to evaluate new mechanisms underlying the responses to standard therapies, aiming to optimize bladder cancer treatment. The authors propose that molecular engineering techniques and AI may hold promise for the future development of more precise and effective targeted therapies in bladder cancer.