February 2024

UROLOGY

STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING BCG SHORTAGE IN BLADDER CANCER

Featuring: Joshua J. Meeks, MD, PhD

During an interview at the 2024 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, Joshua J. Meeks, MD, PhD, the  Edward M. Schaeffer, MD, PhD Professor of Urology at Northwestern Medicine, discussed his plenary presentation on the current shortage of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and provided suggestions for oncologists on how to treat patients during this scarcity.

These suggestions include prioritizing high-risk patients for BCG administration, reducing therapy duration and frequency, and coordinating clinic visits for partial dosing. Dr. Meeks also suggests referring patients to other clinics with BCG availability.

Without BCG, alternative treatments like gemcitabine/docetaxel can be considered while exploring new solutions. Dr. Meeks highlights the importance of increasing treatment options, despite potential cost implications. He also suggests reevaluating the precision approach, tailoring treatments to individual patients based on their specific needs, which has been somewhat overlooked in early-stage bladder cancer.

Watch the interview here.
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Joshua Meeks, MD, PhD, the Edward M. Schaeffer, MD, PhD Professor of Urology and Northwestern Medicine Urologist

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