Long-term results and risk factors of tumor recurrence in patients with superficial bladder cancer who were treated by intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) instillation

Abstract

An evaluation was made of the long-term results and risk factors of tumor recurrence in patients with superficial bladder cancer who were treated with intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and who had a mean follow-up period of 57 months. Eligible for the study were a total of 102 patients who were treated by transurethral resection of tumors and were considered to be free from tumor from 1984 to 1989. A suspension containing 80 mg Tokyo 172 strain BCG in 50 ml normal saline was given intravesically to 50 patients once a week for six weeks without further maintenance instillation. To the other 52 patients was additionally given monthly intravesical BCG instillation for 12 months. The actuarial nonrecurrent rates according to sex, different BCG treatment protocol, tumor grade, tumor status including primary or recurrent tumors, and solitary or multiple tumors were estimated by Kaplan-Meier method. The estimated three-, five- and seven-year actuarial nonrecurrent rates in all 102 cases were 77.3%, 68.5% and 60.6%, respectively. When nonrecurrent rates were compared to tumor characteristics, no statistically significant differences were observed between primary and recurrent tumors or between solitary and multiple tumors estimated by generalized Wilcoxon method. On the other hand, when nonrecurrent rates were compared with tumor grades, grade 3 tumor showed a 40.0% three-year nonrecurrent rate. The differences between grade 3 and grade 1 and between grade 3 and grade 2 were statistically significant (p < 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)