Bacillus Calmette-Guérin
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is a live attenuated strain of Mycobacterium bovis, originally developed by Albert Calmette and Camille Guérin through serial passage of a virulent bovine tuberculosis isolate between 1908 and 1921.
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is a live attenuated strain of Mycobacterium bovis, originally developed by Albert Calmette and Camille Guérin through serial passage of a virulent bovine tuberculosis isolate between 1908 and 1921. It remains the only licensed vaccine for the prevention of tuberculosis (TB) globally and is among the most widely administered vaccines in human history, particularly in TB-endemic regions. BCG's mechanism of action involves the induction of trained innate immunity and adaptive cellular immune responses, engaging dendritic cells, natural killer cell, and T lymphocytes, and promoting the release of proinflammatory cytokines including interferon gamma (IFNG) (interferon-gamma). These immunostimulatory properties underpin not only its prophylactic role against mycobacterial disease but also its established use as an immunotherapeutic agent in oncology.
In the oncological setting, BCG is administered as an intravesical instillation—directly into the bladder—following transurethral resection, and constitutes the standard-of-care adjuvant treatment for high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (HR-NMIBC). Its antitumor effect is mediated through local activation of the tumor microenvironment, triggering immune-mediated destruction of residual cancer cells. Despite its clinical utility, BCG has notable limitations: its protective efficacy against pulmonary tuberculosis in adults is variable and often insufficient, its use in livestock is constrained by cross-reactivity with tuberculin diagnostic tests, and a subset of bladder cancer patients exhibit disease that is unresponsive to BCG therapy—a clinically significant challenge driving substantial contemporary research into alternative and combinatorial treatment strategies.
Where the papers sit
9 papers from the last 6 months study Bacillus Calmette-Guérin directly · updated from PubMed 6 Oct 2026
Study type 0 clinical trials · 3 observational · 3 human data · 2 preclinical · 1 unclassified
Themes 3 themes
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BCG in Bladder Cancer
High-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer is moving toward better risk stratification and immune-response measurement around BCG. Molecular clusters, age, and clinical endpoints are being related to outcomes, while photodynamic diagnosis is used to examine immune-cell infiltration in BCG-treated tumours. Checkpoint inhibitor and adjuvant BCG trials remain difficult to interpret because censoring and results are inconsistent. Whether imaging-defined immune changes translate into durable recurrence control remains open.
4 papers · 44.4%
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Childhood Immunization and Health
Routine childhood immunization is being judged by health outcomes beyond coverage, including mortality under structural inequality. The EMaBS cohort links maternal and infant follow-up to infectious disease, malaria, and non-communicable disease questions. The recurring issue is whether vaccination delivers protection when social conditions limit access and baseline health. The evidence supports broader outcome assessment, but the cluster does not establish a single causal effect.
2 papers · 22.2%
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Others — BCG Across Infection and Cancer
BCG serves two distinct roles here: vaccination against Mycobacterium tuberculosis and intravesical treatment after endoscopic management of upper-tract urothelial carcinoma. Tuberculosis work emphasizes two phases of T-cell immunity and dendritic-cell targeting to improve protection. Urothelial work instead examines intracavitary instillation patterns and recurrence. The shared BCG focus does not establish a single biological trajectory.
3 papers · 33.3%
Papers
The 9 papers from the last 6 months that study Bacillus Calmette-Guérin directly, newest first, by theme and by study type. Study types come from PubMed publication types and MeSH headings.
By theme
BCG in Bladder Cancer (4)
- Impact of Photodynamic Diagnosis on Immune Cell Infiltration in BCG-treated Non-muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer. European urology open science · 16 Aug 2026 PMID 42604152
- An integrated molecular classification system identifies distinct prognostic clusters of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Functional & integrative genomics · 16 May 2026 PMID 42142129
- Older Age and Outcomes of Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin for Non-muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer. In vivo (Athens, Greece) · 28 Apr 2026 PMID 42049417
- Censoring patterns and inconsistent results in checkpoint inhibitor and adjuvant BCG trials for high-risk bladder cancer. European journal of cancer (Oxford, England : 1990) · 22 Apr 2026 PMID 42019224
Childhood Immunization and Health (2)
- Cohort profile: the Entebbe Mother and Baby Study (EMaBS). BMJ open · 26 Aug 2026 PMID 42648772
- Beyond coverage: Can vaccination reduce child mortality despite structural inequality? A global ecological analysis of routine childhood immunization (2010-2023). PloS one · 18 May 2026 PMID 42149912
Others — BCG Across Infection and Cancer (3)
- BCG vaccination elicits protection against M. tuberculosis infection mediated by two phases of T cell immunity. JCI insight · 2 Jul 2026 PMID 42390924
- Targeted delivery of the BCG vaccine to dendritic cells improves protective efficacy against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Vaccine · 22 May 2026 PMID 42172693
- Patterns of adjuvant intracavitary instillation and recurrence after endoscopic management of upper tract urothelial carcinoma. World journal of urology · 19 May 2026 PMID 42154043
By study type
Observational studies and case reports (3)
- Cohort profile: the Entebbe Mother and Baby Study (EMaBS). BMJ open · 26 Aug 2026 PMID 42648772
- Patterns of adjuvant intracavitary instillation and recurrence after endoscopic management of upper tract urothelial carcinoma. World journal of urology · 19 May 2026 PMID 42154043
- Older Age and Outcomes of Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin for Non-muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer. In vivo (Athens, Greece) · 28 Apr 2026 PMID 42049417
Human data, design not indexed (3)
- Beyond coverage: Can vaccination reduce child mortality despite structural inequality? A global ecological analysis of routine childhood immunization (2010-2023). PloS one · 18 May 2026 PMID 42149912
- An integrated molecular classification system identifies distinct prognostic clusters of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Functional & integrative genomics · 16 May 2026 PMID 42142129
- Censoring patterns and inconsistent results in checkpoint inhibitor and adjuvant BCG trials for high-risk bladder cancer. European journal of cancer (Oxford, England : 1990) · 22 Apr 2026 PMID 42019224
Preclinical: animal, cell and lab studies (2)
- BCG vaccination elicits protection against M. tuberculosis infection mediated by two phases of T cell immunity. JCI insight · 2 Jul 2026 PMID 42390924
- Targeted delivery of the BCG vaccine to dendritic cells improves protective efficacy against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Vaccine · 22 May 2026 PMID 42172693
Unclassified: not yet indexed with MeSH (1)
- Impact of Photodynamic Diagnosis on Immune Cell Infiltration in BCG-treated Non-muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer. European urology open science · 16 Aug 2026 PMID 42604152
Written from 9 PubMed abstracts, each one listed by PMID above. Published: 2026-06-14. Last written: 2026-08-28 by GPT. Drafted by language models from published abstracts; not medical advice.