Bladder Cancer

Ed, BCG is a modified TB bacterium that was developed in the 1920's to inoculate children against TB. It has not been used for this for a long time. It has been tried against many types of cancer..one of its biggest failures was against malignant melanoma, where it was a bust.

Someone decided to try it against bladder cancer and it worked. It is instilled into the bladder, and you (try to) hold it for two hours and then pee it out. It is not like chemotherapy where a chemotherapeutic agent is administered into the body systemically. While there can be side effects, and there is some discomfort involved, it has none of the types of side effects that chemotherapy does.

Sara Anne

So sorry that you are learning one of the hard facts about bladder cancer; even when it is "low grade" it has a nasty habit of coming back. Your urologist's treatment plan was exactly what most would have done in your case. BCG is not as effective in low grade tumors as it is in high grade, more rapidly growing ones. Therefore, with low grade the usual first step is to remove the tumor, and then keep a close watch to see if the cancer returns. In many cases it does not.

If a low grade cancer returns, especially with multiple tumors such as yours, then BCG is used. And, BTW, BCG is not chemotherapy. It is an immunotherapy where the BCG is used to stimulate the immune system in the bladder lining to help it to reject any cancer cells that form. And, while many many of us have gone through BCG treatments with minimal problems and tolerable side effects, it can have side effects and should not be used unless there is a chance it will work.

Hope this clarifies things a bit for you. I know you will now have even more questions! We have all been there...right where you are now.

If you do not have confidence in your urologist, a second opinion at a center that treats LOTS of bladder cancer patients might be in order. However, he does seem to be doing what should be done.

Sara Anne