Gullu Arslan Nevra, Aksakal Sengul
Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Samsun Education and Research Hospital, Samsun, TUR.
Clinic of Alergy and Immunology, Samsun Education and Research Hospital, Samsun, TUR.
Cureus. 2025 Aug 28;17(8):e91171. doi: 10.7759/cureus.91171. eCollection 2025 Aug.
Intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy is widely used as a standard adjuvant treatment for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. The exact mechanism of BCG action and the mechanisms responsible for early and late complications after intravesical BCG treatment remain poorly understood, and it is still unclear in which patients local or systemic adverse effects will develop. The patient who received intravesical BCG treatment for six weeks presented with complaints of arthralgia, loss of appetite, fatigue, and intermittent low-grade fever. High-resolution chest computed tomography showed bilateral ground-glass opacities and showed no response to antiviral or antimicrobial treatments. Bronchoalveolar lavage flow cytometry demonstrated a markedly elevated CD4/CD8 ratio (6:1). Based on clinical, radiologic, and immunologic findings, pneumonitis secondary to BCG-related inflammation (BCG-itis) was diagnosed. Differentiating infectious from immune-mediated adverse events in BCG-itis can be challenging.
膀胱内卡介苗(BCG)免疫疗法被广泛用作非肌肉浸润性膀胱癌的标准辅助治疗方法。BCG作用的确切机制以及膀胱内BCG治疗后早期和晚期并发症的发生机制仍知之甚少,目前仍不清楚哪些患者会出现局部或全身不良反应。接受了六周膀胱内BCG治疗的患者出现关节痛、食欲不振、疲劳和间歇性低热等症状。高分辨率胸部计算机断层扫描显示双侧磨玻璃影,对抗病毒或抗菌治疗无反应。支气管肺泡灌洗流式细胞术显示CD4/CD8比值显著升高(6:1)。根据临床、放射学和免疫学检查结果,诊断为BCG相关炎症继发的肺炎(BCG肺炎)。区分BCG肺炎中的感染性与免疫介导的不良事件可能具有挑战性。