title: Combined bacillus Calmette-Guerin and interferon use in superficial bladder cancer.
abstract: Due to its high rate of local recurrence after transurethral surgery, superficial bladder cancer is often treated with adjuvant topical intravesical chemotherapy or biological agents, such as bacillus Calmette-Guerin or interferon-alpha. Recent laboratory testing has revealed that combination interferon-alpha with bacillus Calmette-Guerin results in remarkable synergy, affecting not only bladder tumors directly but also enhancing the immune response to bacillus Calmette-Guerin by orders of magnitude. Clinical studies are now demonstrating lower toxicity with combination low-dose bacillus Calmette-Guerin/interferon regimens, while providing a much needed salvage option for previous bacillus Calmette-Guerin failures.
authors.affiliation: University of Iowa, College of Medicine, Department of Urology, Iowa City 52242-1089, USA. michael-odonnell@uiowa.edu
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: O'Donnell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001500:BCG Vaccine / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D007372:Interferons / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D001500:BCG Vaccine; D007372:Interferons