Case Series

Effectiveness of Steroid Pulse Therapy for Systemic Side Effects after Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Intravesical Instillation Therapy: A Series of Five Cases

Table 3

Patient characteristics.

Age (y)SexBladder cancer stage/typeNumber of BCG therapy sessionsSide effectAntituberculosis drugSteroid pulse therapy (type, dose; duration)Outcome

Case 160FemalepTa high-grade4Fever, knee joint pain, conjunctival hyperemiaINH, 300 mg/day; REP, 450 mg/day; EB, 750 mg/dayMethylprednisolone, 1000 mg/day; 3 days (1 course)Alive
Case 266FemaleCIS8Knee joint pain, conjunctival hyperemia, urethritisNoneMethylprednisolone, 1000 mg/day; 3 days (1 course)Alive
Case 376MalepTa high-grade4Fever, knee and elbow joint pain, conjunctival hyperemiaNoneMethylprednisolone, 500 mg/day; 3 days (1 course)Alive
Case 477FemalepT1 high-grade3Fever, knee joint pain, urethritisNoneMethylprednisolone, 1000 mg/day; 3 days (1 course)Alive
Case 573MalepT1 high-grade14Fever, impaired consciousness, BCG sepsisINH, 300 mg/day; REP, 450 mg/day; EB, 750 mg/dayMethylprednisolone, 1000 mg/day; 6 days (2 courses)Alive

BCG = Bacillus Calmette-Guérin; INH = isoniazid; REP = rifampicin; EB = ethambutol; CIS = carcinoma in situ.