SALVAGE INTRAVESICAL THERAPY WITH INTERFERON-α2B PLUS LOW DOSE BACILLUS CALMETTE-GUERIN IS EFFECTIVE IN PATIENTS WITH SUPERFICIAL BLADDER CANCER IN WHOM BACILLUS CALMETTE-GUERIN ALONE PREVIOUSLY FAILED
We determined whether combining low dose bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) interferon-alpha 2B would be effective for patients in whom previous BCG failed.
A total of 40 patients in whom 1 (19) or more (21) previous induction courses of BCG failed received 6 to 8 weekly treatments of 1/3 dose (27 mg.) BCG plus 50 million units interferon-alpha 2B. Additional 3 week miniseries of further decreased BCG (1/10, 1/30 or 1/100) titrated to symptoms without changing the interferon-alpha 2B dose were given at 5, 11 and 17 months. In 12 patients a second induction course was given with 1/10 BCG plus 100 million units interferon-alpha 2B. There was multifocal disease in 39 patients, previous BCG had failed within 6 months in 34, disease was aggressive (stage T1, grade 3 or carcinoma in situ in 31, there had been 2 or more previous recurrences in 25 and disease history was greater than 4 years in 13.
At a median followup of 30 months 63% and 53% of patients were disease-free at 12 and 24 months, respectively. Patients in whom 2 or more previous BCG courses had failed fared as well as those with 1 failure. Of the 18 failures 14 occurred at the initial cystoscopy evaluation. Of 22 patients initially counseled to undergo cystectomy 12 (55%) are disease-free with a functioning bladder. Combination therapy was well tolerated.
While longer followup and larger multicenter studies are required to validate these encouraging findings, intravesical low dose BCG plus interferon-alpha 2B appears to be effective in many cases of high risk disease previously deemed BCG refractory. However, early failure while on this regimen should be aggressively pursued with more radical treatment options.
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science
2
9%
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
1
5%
Nursing and Health Professions
1
5%
Agricultural and Biological Sciences
1
5%
Other
2
9%
Unknown
7
32%
Attention Score in Context
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 12. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 02 April 2024.
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#3,800,261
of 34,492,055 outputs
Outputs from The Journal of Urology
#2,478
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Outputs of similar age
#5,269
of 65,353 outputs
Outputs of similar age from The Journal of Urology
#6
of 97 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 34,492,055 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done well and is in the 88th percentile: it's in the top 25% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 21,273 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 10.1. This one has done well, scoring higher than 87% of its peers.
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We're also able to compare this research output to 97 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done well, scoring higher than 89% of its contemporaries.
