Dr. Ramos on the Role of BCG In Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer

Félix Guerrero-Ramos, MD, PhD, FEBU, urologist, University Hospital 12 de Octubre, discusses the role of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) in the treatment of patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.

Currently, BCG, an intravesical immunotherapy, is the only available treatment for patients with high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, explains Ramos. Moreover, the disease is associated with high recurrence and progression rates that often lead to muscle invasive bladder cancer.

Additionally, carcinoma in situ lesions are common among patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer and indicate a likelihood of developing muscle invasive disease, says Ramos.

As up to 40% of patients progress on BCG, novel immunotherapy options are being evaluated in clinical trials in order to define more effective treatment options, explains Ramos.

Additionally, identifying predictive biomarkers of response to determine whether a patient is likely to respond to BCG or cystectomy could spare patients the toxicities associated with more aggressive treatments, concludes Ramos.