Building on a Solid Foundation: Enhancing Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Therapy
Cyrill A Rentsch1, Laurent Derré2, Sarah G Dugas1
1Department of Urology, University Hospital Basel, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
European Urology Focus
|November 13, 2018
Summary
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy is crucial for bladder cancer but demanding. Future research focuses on biomarkers and improved BCG therapies to enhance patient outcomes and treatment efficacy.
Area of Science:
- Uro-oncology
- Immunotherapy
- Cancer research
Background:
- Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) has been a cornerstone therapy for bladder cancer for over 40 years.
- BCG immunotherapy is used as an adjuvant treatment after tumor resection and for carcinoma in situ.
- Maintenance therapy with BCG demonstrates superior outcomes compared to induction therapy alone.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current strategies and explore future opportunities for enhancing BCG immunotherapy in bladder cancer treatment.
- To identify areas for improvement in the application and patient selection for BCG therapy.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive search of English online databases, including PubMed and clinicaltrials.gov, was conducted.
- Clinical trials and meta-analyses related to BCG therapy for bladder cancer were retrieved and reviewed.
- The selection of information was performed collaboratively by all authors.
Main Results:
- Careful patient management, from diagnosis through therapy, positively impacts outcomes in BCG immunotherapy.
- Predictive immunological or molecular biomarkers are expected to aid in identifying patients who will most benefit from BCG therapy.
- Ongoing trials are evaluating immune modulators in combination with BCG and exploring recombinant BCG strains.
Conclusions:
- Improving BCG therapy outcomes is a shared responsibility between physicians and researchers.
- Future research will focus on refining the evaluation and treatment of non-muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma.
- The ultimate goal is to enhance cure rates for bladder cancer patients undergoing BCG immunotherapy.
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