SAPHO syndrome with bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) immunotherapy for bladder cancer

The authors describe a case of SAPHO syndrome with bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy for bladder cancer. The patient had undergone transurethral resection (TUR) and was treated with BCG immunotherapy following TUR. Two years after treatment for bladder cancer, the patient had palmoplantar pustulosis, and in the past 1 month suffered from pain localised to the anterior chest wall. The bone scintigraphy showed a strong focal enrichment in the right chest wall, suggesting spondyloarthropathy rather than malignant disease. On the basis of clinical and scintigraphy findings, SAPHO syndrome was diagnosed. The patient was treated with topical therapy and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and symptoms improved. The authors suggest that SAPHO syndrome might be caused by an association with BCG immunotherapy.