A Case of Systemic Toxicity Related to Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guerin for the Treatment of Bladder Cancer

Abstract

Intravesical administration of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) has been utilized for the treatment of superficial bladder cancer for the past several decades. Though this treatment is well tolerated in general, both local and systematic side effects have been reported. We present a case of a patient who presented with systemic symptoms of fever with chills associated with leucopenia, thrombocytopenia, abnormal liver function tests (LFTs), and splenomegaly a few weeks after an episode of traumatic instillation of intravesical BCG. Though the mycobacterial cultures were negative, he was started on an anti-mycobacterial regimen empirically to which he responded and ultimately fully recovered.