Long-term maintenance bacille Calmette-Guérin therapy in high-grade superficial bladder cancer.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the long-term results of intravesical bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) induction plus long-term maintenance treatment for high-grade superficial bladder cancer.

METHODS

Between 1994 and 2000, 41 patients who presented to our clinic with superficial urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (T1G3, T1G3 plus carcinoma in situ, or recurrent TaG2-3) were treated by transurethral resection of all visible tumor and an induction cycle of BCG plus a long-term maintenance BCG course consisting of 11 monthly instillations followed by 4 quarterly instillations and then by 6 six-monthly instillations. The median follow-up was 40 months.

RESULTS

Thirty patients remained tumor free throughout the follow-up period. Ten patients had a recurrence of superficial tumor, 9 patients during the monthly instillation course and 1 patient during the quarterly instillation course. One patient presented with progression.

CONCLUSIONS

Adjuvant immunotherapy with BCG after complete transurethral resection of bladder tumor represents a highly effective primary treatment for high-grade superficial bladder cancer. Our maintenance course of BCG seemed to improve the worldwide accepted effectiveness of the BCG induction course without any important side effects.