New protocol for maintenance BCG?

Think that the deal on BCG is that no one knows!! The initial starting dose, according to my uro, was picked because that is how the company that offered it had it packaged!! What is known is that it IS effective in many cases, that the dose CAN be reduced significantly if/when side effects become a problem, that it is not nearly as bad for the patient as the chemo given for many other cancers.

Sara Anne

Here is a lengthy discussion from a urology journal that discusses several protocols. You can log in as a guest to read the editorial comment if it won't open. It is a great read. Just enlarge the text. www.jurology.com/article/PIIS0022534705667936/fulltext

Here is another abstract from Japan that evidently does BCG over a year. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18721199?ordinalpos=38&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

I wouldn't latch on to too many abstracts as absolutes because the numbers aren't big statistically. They can be a start however.

Last piece on BCG (Mike has the updated file somehwere) www.urotoday.com/prod/pdf/eau/05_TaT1_Bladder_Cancer.pdf

Kim,

There are several diffrent protocols. I believe Dr. Lamm has the initial 6 plus intermittent maintenence of 3 over time. I understand Dr. Herr has done just 6. I have seen some protocols of once a month for a year. My URO put me on 6 weeks, 6 off then a follow up of 6 weeks and that is it. He reasoning was everytime you cath with BCG there is an increasing chance of problems, infections etc. Do as much as you can to stop things and stop. Who really knows? Everyone's situation is different. My tumor while high grade was tiny- .5 CM, caught early and cut out and after almost 3 years free it appears that is what has saved me from further problems. I still get a scope every 6 months going to go to a year after this one coming up. Again, this is accelerated because most suggest 6 months until the end of the 4th year. However, my annual physical (non BLC) will be set 6 months in between my future annual scopes to where I will still have cytology done which does have a greater efficacy on high grade tumors. Being a non invasive test this makes sense to me. This will give me some peace of mind and a check every 6 months instead just a 1 year cytology and scope.

Kim, all I can say is read as much as you can about this disease and be a good listener to your own body. I hope neither of us have a reoccurence but, I am mentally prepared even if that should happen. Lots of hope here!