Immunotherapy with bacille Calmette-Guérin in patients with superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder associated with bilharziasis.

OBJECTIVE

To test the effectiveness and possible side-effects that may result from intravesical immunotherapy with bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) for superficial bladder cancer associated with bilharziasis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Intravesical instillation of the Pasteur strain of BCG was carried out in 13 patients after transurethral resection of superficial transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) associated with bilharziasis. The recurrence rate in these patients was compared retrospectively with that of 17 patients with superficial TCC associated with bilharziasis in whom a recurrence had occurred previously and who had not received immunotherapy.

RESULTS

There was a statistically significant decrease in the recurrence of tumours after intravesical BCG therapy. The tumour-free period after BCG treatment was 15.7 months compared with 6.7 months in the control group.

CONCLUSION

The presence of bilharziasis does not appear to influence the effectiveness of immunotherapy with BCG for superficial bladder cancer.