What is BCG? | BCG Full Form | BCG Term

Bladder cancer is the abnormal growth of cells on the bladder. These cells, which originate in the urothelium, can grow to form a tumor, which eventually spreads, damaging the bladder and other organs. Most people with bladder cancer are diagnosed after noticing blood in their urine. Those suspected of having bladder cancer typically have their bladder inspected by cystoscopy, a procedure where a thin medical camera is inserted through the urethra. Suspected tumors are removed and examined by a pathologist to determine if they are cancerous. Based on how far the tumor has spread, the cancer case is assigned a stage 0 to 4; a higher stage indicates a more widespread and dangerous disease.
Those whose bladder tumors are completely contained within the bladder have the best prognoses. These tumors are typically surgically removed, and the person is treated with chemotherapy or an immune-stimulating therapy – either the BCG vaccine or one of several alternative immune stimulants. Those whose tumors continue to grow, or whose tumors have penetrated the bladder muscle, are often treated with radical cystectomy, the surgical removal of the bladder and nearby genital organs. Those whose tumors have spread beyond the bladder have the worst prognoses and on average a person survives a year from diagnosis. These people are treated with chemotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors, followed by the antibody drug conjugate therapy enfortumab vedotin.
Around 500,000 people are diagnosed with bladder cancer each year, and 200,000 die of the disease. The risk of bladder cancer increases with age and the average age at diagnosis is 73. Tobacco smoking is the greatest contributor to bladder cancer risk, and causes around half of bladder cancer cases. Exposure to certain toxic chemicals or the flatworm Schistosoma haematobium, which infects the bladder, also increases the risk.