San Francisco, CA (UroToday.com) — As Bladder Cancer Awareness Month kicks off, the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has announced that it is not recommending avelumab (Bavencio) for use as a maintenance treatment for people with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial (bladder) cancer after chemotherapy. This is deeply disappointing, and we urge NICE and the manufacturer to continue discussions. There are currently no maintenance treatments – treatments that can slow the rate of cancer and stop it progressing – routinely available for these types of patients on the NHS.