Morgantown, W.Va. – The WVU Cancer Institute is the first healthcare facility in West Virginia to offer Inlexzo™ for patients diagnosed with a high-risk, aggressive form of bladder cancer, providing a safe, alternative therapy for patients who otherwise face limited treatment options.
Inlexzo, a therapy recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and now part of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines, is a small, temporary system resembling a pretzel that directs chemotherapy straight to the bladder, allowing the medication to remain in place and work over an extended period.
This approach offers an important alternative for patients who cannot tolerate traditional therapies or want to avoid more invasive treatment options.
Ali Hajiran, M.D., chief of Urologic Oncology at the WVU Cancer Institute, emphasized the importance of innovation and patient access to these types of treatments.
“For patients facing aggressive bladder cancer with limited treatment options, access to innovative therapies can be transformational,” Dr. Hajiran said. “Being able to offer treatments like this to our patients here in West Virginia means they can receive cutting-edge care while staying close to their families and support systems.”
Anna Williams of Cowen was the first patient in the state and the first female in the tri-state region (Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia) to receive this new therapy.
Williams has been living with high-risk bladder cancer while also managing a severe autoimmune disease. Because of her complex medical condition, many standard bladder cancer treatments were not safe options. Earlier this year, she received treatment at WVU Medicine J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital.
“I wanted the best care possible, but I also wanted to stay close to my family,” Williams said. “Knowing this treatment was available here in West Virginia meant everything to me.”
Williams’ treatment was carefully coordinated through a multidisciplinary team, including advanced practice providers, oncologists, pharmacologists, nurses, and others, whose goal was to ensure she received the right treatment plan to address her unique healthcare needs.
“We are continuing to transform cancer care for our patients,” Hajiran said. “This effort represents a new standard for the treatment of bladder cancer. For patients like Anna Williams and others, this milestone is more than a medical first; it represents progress, access, and hope for the future of cancer care in West Virginia and beyond.”
For more information on the WVU Cancer Institute, visit WVUMedicine.org/Cancer.
Anna Williams (second from left with her husband, George) was the first in the state to receive the FDA’s newly approved chemotherapy to treat aggressive bladder cancer. Her treatment was coordinated by a team of experts from WVU Cancer’s Urologic Oncology team (pictured with Williams).