Everything that has passed is but a prelude. Reflecting on the progress made in urologic oncology in 2025, the field witnessed the release of numerous landmark study results alongside a series of high-level international conferences. These developments have significantly expanded the boundaries of knowledge and provided invaluable platforms for researchers worldwide to exchange ideas and strengthen collaboration.

Prostate cancer remains the most prevalent genitourinary malignancy among men worldwide. Early and accurate diagnosis is fundamental to comprehensive disease management, long-term survival improvement, and reduction of the societal burden of disease. As the pathological gold standard for prostate cancer diagnosis, biopsy continues to serve as the central arena for technological innovation and clinical investigation in precision oncology.

In 2025, the field of prostate cancer management advanced steadily and decisively. From increasingly precise detection of localized lesions and function-preserving radical surgery, to intensified combination strategies for advanced metastatic disease, progress spanned the full continuum of care.

The year 2025 marked a pivotal turning point in the management of urothelial carcinoma (UC). Nowhere has this transformation been more striking than in high-risk non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), where long-standing limitations of bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) therapy are finally being challenged by innovative strategies—most notably immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs).

In 2025, the field of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) advanced decisively along the dual pathways of precision and combination therapy. Landmark developments reshaped clinical practice across disease stages: perioperative targeted–immunotherapy combinations that altered surgical paradigms for locally advanced disease; long-term survival data confirming the durability of first-line immunotherapy-based regimens; innovative later-line strategies overcoming therapeutic resistance; and biomarker-driven approaches enabling molecularly guided treatment for rare non–clear cell subtypes.

With the continuous advancement of scientific research, treatment strategies for urologic malignancies have evolved far beyond traditional chemotherapy. Targeted therapies, immunotherapy, and radioligand therapies are now reshaping the therapeutic landscape.

In recent years, the combination of targeted therapy and immunotherapy has substantially improved systemic outcomes for patients with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). However, whether these regimens can be effectively deployed in the preoperative setting as conversion therapy—enhancing surgical resectability and nephron preservation—has lacked prospective real-world validation. Furthermore, their impact on the tumor immune microenvironment remains incompletely understood.

The year 2025 marked a turning point in the management of advanced urothelial carcinoma (UC). Antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) demonstrated overwhelming advantages in the first-line setting, fundamentally challenging the long-standing dominance of platinum-based chemotherapy.

In 2025, China’s renal cell carcinoma (RCC) field achieved significant progress in both clinical management and translational research. Surgical innovation—particularly robotic-assisted inferior vena cava (IVC) tumor thrombus resection—has improved the feasibility and safety of complex procedures. In advanced disease, novel immunotherapy–targeted therapy combinations demonstrated promising efficacy in clear cell RCC and fumarate hydratase–deficient RCC (FH-dRCC). Meanwhile, artificial intelligence (AI)-based imaging models, metabolite-driven liquid biopsy biomarkers, multi-omics molecular subtyping, and intratumoral microbiome studies are advancing precision diagnosis, prognostic stratification, and therapeutic optimization.

The 2026 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium (ASCO GU) has once again opened as one of the most authoritative and influential global meetings in genitourinary oncology. As always, it sets the direction for advances in urothelial carcinoma, prostate cancer, and renal cell carcinoma. This year, precision-targeted therapy in urothelial carcinoma stands firmly at the center of attention.