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Urology (Expert Forum)
BCG Side Effects
Questions in the Urology forum are answered by Dr. Stephen Liroff, affiliated with the Henry Ford Hospital. Topics covered include benign prostate disease, penis curvature, cystisis, kidney stones, pediatric urology, prostate, sexual dysfunction, urinary tract infections (UTI), and urological cancers.
BCG Side Effects
by Vicky__0__0, Mar 11, 1999 12:00AM
What, if any, are side-effects of BCG treatment for bladder cancer?
Doctor's Answer
by hfhs M.D.-AK, Mar 11, 1999 12:00AM
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Dear Vicky,
BCG or Bacillus of Calmette and Guerin, is an attenuated, live culture preparation of Mycobacterium bovis. It is approved for intravesical or percutaneous use. It is commonly used for bladder cancer patients and has the best results of all the intravesical chemotherapeutics. The freeze-dried BCG prep is delivered to the bladder by instilation through a foley catheter.
The overall response in patients is about 75% and is generally tolerated. You ask specifically about side effects. I consulted the PDR for the entire list. In order of decreasing frequency: dysuria(burning with urination), urinary frequency, hematuria (blood in urine), cystitis(bladder infection), urgency, nocturia, cramps/pain, urinary incontinence, urinary debris, genital inflammation, UTI, urethritis, and several other all less than 1% of patients.
Other systemic symptoms include; flu-like symptoms, fever, malaise/fatigue, shaking chills and nausea vomiting.
I have listed many possible side effects and I don’t mean to scare you, the first three in each list I would take seriously, the others are included for completeness.
GOOD LUCK!
This information is provided for general medical educational purposes only. Please consult your physician for diagnostic and treatment options pertaining to your specific medical condition. More individualized care is available at the Henry Ford Hospital and its satellites (1 800 653-6568).
Sincerely,
HFHS M.D.-AK
*keyword: Bladder Cancer,BCG
