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- Title
Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Treatment During The Coronavirus Disease-2019 Pandemic: A Review of Current Recommendations.
- Authors
Ok, Fesih
- Abstract
Objective: Many outpatient procedures were restricted to reduce the likelihood of transmission during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The most effective treatment of high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is the intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) therapy, consisting of induction and maintenance, which requires repeated hospital visits. Therefore, treatment protocol adaptation to the pandemic is important. Materials and Methods: A comprehensive literature review was performed between January 2020 and December 2020 within the PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Results: Recommendations and updates of two international associations, two national associations, and five intravesical BCG application studies were discussed. During the pandemic, intravesical BCG treatment was delayed for patients with NMIBC in the intermediate-risk group. The general view for patients in the high-risk group is to complete induction therapy, if possible. Recommendations for maintenance treatment vary. With this treatment, planning should be done in less than one year. The existence of suspected or approved COVID-19 disease delayed the BCG treatment for 3 weeks. Conclusion: Consensus was not found on how intravesical BCG treatment should be applied during the pandemic. However, it is recommended to at least complete induction therapy in high-risk NMIBC as the risk of progression and recurrence is high. BCG instillations can be delayed for at least 3 weeks in patients with confirmed COVID-19 disease.
- Subjects
BLADDER tumors; DISEASE progression; INTRAVESICAL administration; TREATMENT delay (Medicine); BCG vaccines; LITERATURE reviews; COVID-19 pandemic; DISEASE risk factors
- Publication
Üroonkoloji Bülteni, 2021, Vol 20, Issue 4, p206
- ISSN
2147-2270
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.4274/uob.galenos.2021.2021.4.3