Immunotherapy-related genital BCGitis - case report and a scoping review of histology.

Treatment options for superficial bladder cancer and carcinoma in situ include Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy. It frequently produces local and/or systemic side effects. One, however, is the rarely reported genital infection by BCG. We report one such case and a scoping review of all cases published so far, with an emphasis on histological presentation. Immunotherapy-related BCGitis has been described as an iatrogenic event. Lesions are most often located on the genital region, although dissemination may occur which justifies caution and prompt initiation of therapy. Therefore, histology will often be carried out to support the clinical diagnosis, while excluding other diagnoses. Our review of published cases demonstrates that a granulomatous infiltrate is almost always to be expected, although a predominantly neutrophilic inflammation is possible. Direct observation of the infective agent or its isolation in culture media is infrequent, so clinical-pathologic correlation is ultimately crucial for the diagnosis. Under these circumstances, this compilation of reported pathologic findings can be used as support. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.