Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is a biologically and clinically heterogeneous disease, accounting for approximately 75% of bladder cancer cases. Over the past decade, multiple RNA-based molecular classification systems for NMIBC have been proposed, demonstrating associations with tumor stage, grade, prognosis, and treatment response. However, unlike muscle-invasive bladder cancer, a unified consensus classification for NMIBC is lacking, limiting clinical translation and cross-study comparability. To address this gap, the first NMIBC Consensus Classification Meeting was convened in November 2024 at Erasmus University Medical Center, bringing together 13 international experts from seven countries representing major NMIBC molecular classification efforts. This report summarizes the discussions, comparative evaluation of existing classification systems, and the agreed strategy towards developing a consensus molecular model. The meeting focused on harmonizing heterogeneous transcriptomic datasets, integrating RNA sequencing and microarray platforms, and assessing the applicability of classification models across tumor stages (Ta/T1) and grades. Key features, strengths, and limitations of the Lund Taxonomy, Leeds, Birmingham, UROMOL, and Rotterdam (BCG response) subtypes were critically examined. Building on prior experience from the muscle-invasive bladder cancer consensus, participants agreed on a centroid-based clustering framework using rigorously defined core samples to derive stable consensus subtypes and a single-sample classifier with associated probability scores. A large, curated dataset encompassing approximately 2500 NMIBC samples from published cohorts will facilitate model development and validation. The resulting consensus classification aims to improve biological understanding, facilitate reproducibility across studies, and enable future evaluation of prognostic and therapeutic relevance, including response to intravesical BCG therapy.
Bladder cancer (Amsterdam, Netherlands). 2026 May 23*** epublish ***
Joep J de Jong, Ane Moreno-Oya, Mitchell Olislagers, Florus C de Jong, Sia V Lindskrog, Anshita Goel, Roland Arnold, Richard T Bryan, Pontus Eriksson, Gottfrid Sjödahl, Murat Akand, Loic Baekelandt, Tahlita C M Zuiverloon, Sebastien Rinaldetti, J Alberto Nakauma-Gonzalez
Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands., Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology Group, Spanish National Cancer Centre-CNIO, Madrid, Spain., Department of Molecular Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark., Bladder Cancer Research Centre, Department of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK., Division of Oncology, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden., Department of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden., Department of Urology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium., The Department of Hemato-Oncology, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Luxembourg.