There are no biomarkers of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in muscle invasive bladder cancer.
Achievement of pathological complete response (pCR) at radical cystectomy is associated with improved survival.
A higher pre-chemotherapy lymphocyte count was associated with pCR.
Responders had higher lymphocyte counts than non-responders throughout treatment and recovery.
Our results suggest that the adaptive immune arm may affect chemosensitivity.