Hi Again Phil,
Your doctor has already given you the 'new standard' for recurrent, low grade TCC, a chemo wash after resection. BCG would be an even bigger and better treatment but is it really necessary, considering your tumors were low grade. Why wouldn't he give this treatment time to work before moving on to BCG, I'm wondering, especially since you're nervous about contracting TB and don't know the answer to your initial question.
There was a recent article from France about using antibiotics along with BCG in order to allieviate and/or prevent bad side effects, I copy it below. If you and your doctor find it interesting enough you could buy the whole article. There has been other research that found antibiotics are actually good at preventing recurrence
(
blcwebcafe.org/antibiotics.asp
):
Improving Compliance of BCG Immunotherapy: Practical Approaches to Managing
Side-Effects
Pascal Rischmann, a,aCentre Hospitalier Universitaire de Rangueil, 1, avenue Jean Poulhès TSA50032, 31059 Toulouse Cedex 9, France
Available online 8 June 2006.
Abstract
Adverse events (AEs) following intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)
therapy are directly related to reduced compliance, leading to treatment
cessation and incomplete treatment. Dr Rischmann and his team designed a
prospective study to determine whether prophylaxis with ofloxacin could
improve the tolerance of BCG in the treatment of transitional cell carcinoma
(TCC) of the bladder. A secondary objective was to investigate the effect on
efficacy. The use of ofloxacin significantly decreased the incidence of
class 2 or higher AEs (moderate or severe) between instillations four and
six. With ofloxacin the percentage of class 3 AEs was also significantly
decreased between instillations one and nine. Although ofloxacin reduced AEs
involving the lower urinary tract, it did not prevent class 1 AEs.
Compliance to full BCG treatment was also improved. Ofloxacin did not appear
to impair the efficacy of BCG during 12 mo after treatment. The use of
prophylactic ofloxacin 200 mg given twice after BCG instillations appears to
be a simple and practical method of improving BCG tolerability yet
maintaining efficacy.