Does intravesical BCG therapy treat bladder cancer?

Intravesical BCG is placed through a thin catheter into the bladder, rather than given through a vein. The medicine stays in contact with the bladder lining and activates local immune cells against remaining cancer cells. It is generally considered after the visible tumour has been removed, when the cancer has not grown into the bladder muscle and has a meaningful risk of returning or progressing.

Treatment is given in scheduled appointments, followed by checks of urine, symptoms, and the bladder. Burning during urination, urgency, frequency, or a mild flu-like feeling can occur. The urology team decides whether treatment should continue, pause, or change.

Ask whether your tumour is non-muscle-invasive and why BCG is recommended after your procedure. Confirm how to prepare, how long to follow fluid and hygiene instructions, and when cystoscopy or other follow-up is planned. Tell the team if you have fever, immune problems, recent bladder injury, or difficulty passing urine before an appointment.

Contact your urology team promptly for fever that persists, chills, worsening pelvic pain, inability to urinate, heavy blood in the urine, or feeling increasingly unwell after BCG. Seek urgent care for severe weakness, confusion, breathing difficulty, or fainting. Do not ignore symptoms that continue beyond the expected short-term bladder irritation.

What stage and grade is my bladder cancer? How does BCG lower the chance of the cancer returning? What should I do if I develop fever? When is my next bladder check? What alternatives exist if BCG cannot be completed?