Utilization of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin for Nonmuscle Invasive Bladder Cancer in an Era of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Supply Shortages.

OBJECTIVES

To study trends in Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) utilization for nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) before and during national BCG shortages.

METHODS

The National Cancer Database was used to identify patients with localized NMIBC. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with BCG use. Temporal trends in BCG use were studied using segmented regression analysis.

RESULTS

We identified 238,279 patients with NMIBC from 2004 to 2015. Overall, 33,660 (14.1%) patients with NMIBC received intravesical BCG during the study period. Segmented regression revealed a slower rate of rise of BCG utilization following major supply interruptions in 2011 and 2012 (2004-2012: +0.62% increase per year [P < .0001]; 2013-2015: +0.29% increase per year [P = .084]). This trend was most pronounced in Ta-low grade patients and least pronounced in T1-high grade patients.

CONCLUSIONS

BCG utilization for NMIBC increased significantly over the study period, possibly representing increased adoption of national guidelines for BCG in NMIBC. In the years following interruptions in BCG supply, BCG use appears to have been rationed based on clinical risk, with the steepest declines in BCG use occurring in the lowest risk patients.