A groundbreaking advance in cancer treatment has arrived, offering new hope to thousands of patients. Researchers at Keck Medicine of USC have developed an innovative drug delivery device—called TAR-200—that has shown remarkable success in tackling one of the toughest forms of bladder cancer.

This small pretzel-shaped implant works by slowly releasing the chemotherapy drug gemcitabine directly inside the bladder over the course of several weeks. Unlike traditional chemotherapy, which circulates through the entire body and can cause severe side effects, TAR-200 delivers the treatment exactly where it’s needed, maximizing effectiveness while minimizing harm.

In a recent Phase II clinical trial, the results stunned even the research team: 82% of patients with high-risk non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer, who had previously failed to respond to immunotherapy, saw their tumors completely disappear. Most achieved this within just three months of treatment. Even more encouraging, nearly half remained cancer-free a full year later.

Bladder cancer is notoriously difficult to treat, and for patients resistant to standard options, the usual fallback is major surgery to remove the bladder—an operation with lifelong consequences. But TAR-200 could change that trajectory, providing a less invasive, highly effective alternative that preserves quality of life.

Side effects were reported as generally mild, such as urinary irritation, and no unexpected complications were seen. Based on these promising outcomes, the FDA has granted the device priority review, which accelerates its path to approval and potential rollout to hospitals worldwide.

If successful at the next stages, TAR-200 won’t just be a medical innovation—it will mark a shift in how we fight cancer, transforming something once considered untreatable into a highly manageable condition.