Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Immunotherapy for Cancer

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Oncology
• Microbiology

Background:

• Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), an attenuated Mycobacterium bovis vaccine, is a pioneering immunotherapy for bladder cancer.
• BCG induces a durable antitumor response, surpassing other treatments for non-invasive muscle bladder cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review BCG's diverse applications in treating various neoplasms, including leukemia, bladder cancer, lung cancer, and melanoma.
• To explore how BCG potentiates immune responses, alone or combined with other therapies like checkpoint inhibitors and Toll-Like Receptor (TLR) agonists.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on BCG interventions for different cancers.
• Analysis of studies investigating BCG's role in modulating immune responses, including trained immunity and microbiome interactions.

Main Results:

• BCG demonstrates efficacy in treating multiple cancers and enhances antitumor responses when combined with therapies like anti-PD-1 antibodies.
• BCG's interaction with the microbiome is crucial for effective cell-target therapy, particularly in melanoma treatment.
• Trained immunity principles are being explored to reprogram innate immune responses against tumors.

Conclusions:

• BCG remains a vital immunotherapy agent with expanding applications in oncology.
• Combination therapies involving BCG, checkpoint inhibitors, and microbiome modulation show significant promise for cancer treatment.
• Further research into trained immunity offers new avenues for enhancing BCG-based cancer therapies.