7th International Bladder Cancer Update

Location: J.W. Marriott at The Galleria • Houston, Texas
October 30-31, 2026

Overview

The International Bladder Cancer Update (IBCU) is a CME conference focused on the diagnosis and treatment of bladder cancer. The conference offers medical professionals an opportunity to listen to updates from, and interact with, expert international faculty to improve knowledge and determine best treatment practices to improve patient outcomes.

IBCU encompasses expert lectures, interactive discussions, a panel roundtable, debates, and case presentations. It is physician-led, multi-supported, and designed for urologists, urologic oncologists, and other healthcare professionals involved in the treatment of bladder cancer.

Program Director

Siamak Daneshmand, MD, FACS

Keck USC School of MedicineLos Angeles, California

Agenda

The 7th International Bladder Cancer Update (IBCU 7) offers a robust program that encompasses expert lectures, interactive discussions, a panel roundtable, debates, and case presentations.

This is a working agenda and subject to change. Please check back often for the latest updates.

Time	Course Title	Speaker(s)
Friday, Octoer 30, 2026 (ALL TIMES CST)
12:00pm–6:00pm	Registration and Check-In
3:00pm - 7:15pm	Visit Exhibits	Exhibit Hall
4:00pm–4:10pm	Welcome and Introductions	Program Director: Sia Daneshmand, MD
4:10pm–5:00pm	Session 1: Pathology, Etiology, and Diagnosis of Urothelial Cancer	Moderator: Vignesh Packiam, MD
4:10pm–4:25pm	Pathology That Changes Management: Variants, LVI, CIS, and Staging Pitfalls: Clinical and Radiographic Staging	Vignesh T. Packiam, MD
4:25pm–4:50pm	Staging of Bladder Cancer and Histologic Subtypes	Donna E. Hansel, MD, PhD
4:50pm–5:00pm	Panel Discussion	Vignesh T. Packiam, MD; Donna E. Hansel,MD, PhD; Sia Daneshmand, MD
5:00pm–6:00pm	Session 2: Management of Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer
5:00pm–5:15pm	BCG-Naïve High-Risk NMIBC in 2026: Is BCG Alone Still Enough?	Ashish Kamat, MD, MBBS, FACS
5:15pm–5:30pm	BCG-Unresponsive NMIBC: How Do We Choose and Sequence Bladder-Sparing Therapies?	Saum B. Ghodoussipour, MD
5:30pm–5:45pm	What’s New in Low and Intermediate Risk Bladder Cancer	TBD
5:45pm–6:00pm	Implementing Novel Therapeutics Into Clinic Workflow	Ashish Kamat, MD, MBBS, FACS; Mark Tyson, II, MD, MPH; TBD
6:15pm–7:15pm	Welcome Reception
7:30pm–-9:00pm	Faculty Dinner
Saturday, October 31, 2026 (ALL TIMES CST)
7:00am–5:00pm	Exhibits Open
7:00am–8:00am	Session 3: Defining Optimal Perioperative Management for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer	Moderator: Seth Lerner, MD
7:00am–7:15am	Perioperative Management of MIBC in 2026	Arlene Siefker-Radtke, MD
7:15am–7:30am	ctDNA in Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer: Is It Ready to Guide Therapy?	Yair Lotan, MD
7:30am–7:45am	Adjuvant Therapy After Neoadjuvant Treatment: Who Still Needs Therapy and What?	TBD
7:30am–8:00am	Panel Discussion	Seth Lerner, MD; Arlene Siefker-Radtke, MD; Yair Lotan, MD
8:00am–9:00am	Industry-Supported Breakfast Symposium	TBD
9:00am–9:20am	Break & Visit Exhibits	Exhibit Hall, Liberty Hall Foyer
9:20am–10:00am	Session 4: Radical Surgical Approaches to Bladder Cancer	Moderator: Ashish Kamat, MD, MBBS, FACS
9:20am–9:35am	Pelvic Lymphadenectomy: What Is the Optimal Template?	Seth Lerner, MD
9:35am–9:50am	When to Consolidate After EV/P?	Ashish Kamat, MD, MBBS, FACS
9:50am–10:00am	Panel Discussion	Ashish Kamat, MD, MBBS, FACS; Seth Lerner, MD; Yair Lotan, MD
10:00am–11:00am	Session 5: Bladder Preservation	Moderator: Yair Lotan, MD
10:00am–10:20am	Do Good Responders Still Need Cystectomy? Response-Adapted Bladder Preservation After Neoadjuvant Therapy	Yair Lotan, MD
10:20am–10:50am	Trimodality Therapy in 2026: Who Is the Ideal Candidate?	Comron Hassanzadeh, MD, MPH
10:50am–11:00am	Panel Discussion	Yair Lotan, MD; Comron Hassanzadeh, MD, MPH; Saum B. Ghodoussipour, MD
11:00am–12:00pm	Session 6: Guideline Updates and Late-StageClinical Trials	Moderator: Yair Lotan, MD
11:00am–11:15am	NMIBC Guidelines in 2026: What Has Changed and What Remains Controversial	Vignesh T. Packiam, MD
11:15am–11:30am	Current Clinical Trials in NMIBC	Yair Lotan, MD
11:30am–11:45am	Neoadjuvant Therapy Prior to Cystectomy: Can We Do Better Than EV/P?	Thomas Flaig, MD
11:45am–12:00pm	Late-Stage Bladder Cancer Trials Most Likely to Change Practice	Tian Zhang, MD, MHS, FASCO
12:00pm–12:15pm	Break & Visit Exhibits	Exhibit Hall, Liberty Hall Foyer
12:15pm–1:00pm	Lunch	Liberty Hall, Salon 6
1:00pm–2:00pm	Session 7: Advances in the Management of Metastatic Disease	Moderator: Thomas Flaig, MD
1:00pm–1:15pm	First-Line Metastatic UC in 2026: EV/Pembro—Is Platinum Dead?	Thomas Flaig, MD
1:15pm–1:30pm	What’s After EV/Pembro?	Arlene Siefker-Radtke, MD
1:30pm–1:45pm	Precision Therapy in Advanced UC: FGFR3, HER2, Next-Generation ADCs	Tian Zhang, MD, MHS, FASCO
1:45pm–2:00pm	Panel Discussion	Thomas Flaig, MD; Tian Zhang, MD, MHS, FASCO; Arlene Siefker-Radtke, MD
2:00pm–2:15pm	Break & Visit Exhibits	Exhibit Hall, Liberty Hall Foyer
2:15pm–3:30pm	Session 8: Management of Upper Tract Disease	Moderator: Surena Matin, MD, FACS
2:15pm–2:30pm	Kidney-Sparing Management of UTUC	Saum B. Ghodoussipour, MD
2:30pm–2:45pm	High-Risk Localized UTUC: Neoadjuvant vs Adjuvant Therapy	Surena Matin, MD, FACS
2:45pm–3:00pm	Treatment of Advanced UTUC	Arlene Siefker-Radtke, MD
3:00pm–3:15pm	Panel Discussion	Surena Matin, MD, FACS; Saum B. Ghodoussipour, MD; Arlene Siefker-Radtke, MD
3:15pm-3:30pm	Wrap-up and Closing Remarks	Program Director: Sia Daneshmand, MD

Accommodations

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JW Marriott Houston by The Galleria
5150 Westheimer Road
Houston, Texas, 77056

Welcome to the completely renovated JW Marriott Houston by The Galleria. Situated across from the Galleria mall, our hotel in Uptown Houston allows guests easy access to shopping and dining experiences. For those traveling with family, our Houston, TX Galleria hotel is conveniently located near the Houston Zoo and Downtown Aquarium. Our on-site restaurant, Stray Horse, is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and features elevated cuisine with regional flavors. Visit JW Market for coffee and grab-and-go options. Stay on track with your fitness goals in our spacious fitness center and yoga room. Enjoy the fresh air at our rooftop pool overlooking the city or enhance your experience with a private pool cabana. Our 41,500 sq. ft. of renovated space offers memorable settings where events can thrive. Throughout your stay at our luxury hotel in Houston, let us treat you to seamless service and an enriching experience. End your evening in a renovated suite with stylish furnishings, luxury bedding, and city views

CONFERENCE ATTIRE:
Attire is business casual. Since meeting room temperatures and personal comfort levels vary, it is recommended that you bring a sweater or jacket to the educational activities.

HOTEL RESERVATIONS:
To make hotel reservations for this conference, you must FIRST complete a registration for the conference using the link below:

Your registration confirmation email will contain a link to the group hotel block, enabling you to make a room reservation.

ROOM RATES:

Standard King – $219.00 a night
Tax Policy Room Rates shown do not include 17.00% Room Tax plus State Cost Recovery Fee – .82% Per Night (subject to change). Total charges presented on the website will include all room fees and taxes.
Standard Double – $219.00 a night
Tax Policy Room Rates shown do not include 17.00% Room Tax plus State Cost Recovery Fee – .82% Per Night (subject to change). Total charges presented on the website will include all room fees and taxes.
Corner King – $249.00 a night
Tax Policy Room Rates shown do not include 17.00% Room Tax plus State Cost Recovery Fee – .82% Per Night (subject to change). Total charges presented on the website will include all room fees and taxes.

Hotel Information
Check-in: 3:00pm
Check-out: 11:00am
Smoke Free Property

Pet Policy
Pets Not Allowed
No pets allowed-service animals only

Parking
On-Site Parking
Daily: $37.00

Valet
Daily: $69.00

Transportation

William P Hobby Airport

Distance from Property: 16.6 Miles

Phone Number: +1 713-640-3000

Visit Website
This hotel does not provide shuttle service.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport

Distance from Property: 26.6 Miles

Phone Number: +1 281-230-3100

Visit Website
This hotel does not provide shuttle service.

Other Transportation

Nearby
Bus Station
Greyhound

Train Station
Amtrak Station

Faculty

Siamak Daneshmand, MD, FACS

Program Director

Keck USC School of MedicineLos Angeles, California

Donna E. Hansel, MD, PhD

The University of Texas
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas

Comron Hassanzadeh, MD, MPH

The University of Texas
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas

Ashish Kamat, MD, MBBS, FACS

Seth P. Lerner, MD, FACS

Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas

Yair Lotan, MD

UT Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, Texas

Surena Matin, MD

The University of Texas
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas

Vignesh T. Packiam, MD

Rutgers Health Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Newark, New Jersey

Arlene O. Siefker-Radtke, MD

The University of Texas
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas

CME Information

Coming Soon

Registration

By registering for this conference, you agree to our standard Conference Registration and Attendance Terms and Conditions agreement, which is available online at: Conference Registration and Attendance Terms and Conditions.