Clinical outcomes of bacillus Calmette-Guérin instillation therapy for carcinoma in situ of urinary bladder.
OBJECTIVE
We analyzed the clinical outcomes of instillation therapy with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) to treat carcinoma in situ (CIS) and searched for prognostic factors that could predict disease progression.


METHODS
Between January 1995 and January 2001, 185 patients (male, 155; female, 30) diagnosed with bladder CIS underwent weekly BCG instillations (80 mg of Tokyo 172 strain) for eight weeks. Primary, concomitant, and secondary CIS was found in 62 (33.5%), 60 (32.4%) and 63 (34.1%), patients, respectively. Seventy-five (40.5%) and 64 (34.6%) patients had limited and extensive CIS, respectively. The median follow up period was 37.5 months (range 4-95 months).


RESULTS
The overall complete response rate was 86.5%. The five-year progression-free survival rate was 78.5%. Several factors, such as age (<60 or >or=60 years), gender, previous transurethral resection, type of CIS, and CIS extension (three or more positive sites out of four to six biopsy sites was defined as extensive), were examined by multivariate analysis to predict progression. The extension of CIS was the only independent prognostic factor. The five-year recurrence-free rate of complete responders (n = 160) was 66.0%. Radical cystectomy was performed in 10 patients (6.3%) during follow up incomplete responders, of whom seven had invasive bladder cancer. Extravesical involvement was identified in 30 patients (16.2%) among whom, 21 (11.3%) had upper urinary tract recurrence and nine (4.9%) had prostatic involvement.


CONCLUSIONS
Therapy with BCG is effective against CIS, the extent of which might be a prognostic factor. Disease progression including extravesical involvement should be carefully monitored over the long-term after BCG therapy.
Takenaka
Atsushi
A
Division of Urology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan. atake@med.kobe-u.ac.jp
Yamada
Yuji
Y
Miyake
Hideaki
H
Hara
Isao
I
Fujisawa
Masato
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001500:BCG Vaccine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002278:Carcinoma in Situ / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000473:pathology; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*
D001500:BCG Vaccine