Use of an interferon-gamma based assay to assess bladder cancer patients treated with intravesical BCG and exposed to tuberculosis

• Published in: Clinical biochemistry Vol. 40; no. 12; pp. 913 - 915
• Main Authors: Silverman, M.S., Reynolds, D., Kavsak, P.A., Garay, J., Daly, A., Davis, I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-08-2007
• Subjects: Administration, Intravesical; Aged; Bacillus Calmette-Guerin; BCG Vaccine - administration & dosage; BCG Vaccine - therapeutic use; Biological Assay - methods; Bladder cancer; Female; Humans; Interferon-gamma; Interferon-gamma - metabolism; Male; Tuberculin skin test; Tuberculosis - complications; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms - diagnosis; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms - drug therapy; Bacillus Calmette-Guerin; Interferon-gamma; Bladder cancer; Tuberculin skin test
• ISSN: 0009-9120; 1873-2933
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2007.04.006

Compare the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT) assay and the tuberculin skin test (TST) in bladder cancer patients receiving high dose BCG therapy (BCG patients).
BCG patients and healthy visitors, both exposed to tuberculosis, were screened with a TST and QFT.
QFT-TST correlation was excellent in visitors, but poor in BCG patients. BCG therapy predicted a positive TST (
p
<
0.001) but not a positive QFT (
p
=
0.35).
The management of BCG patients was impacted, by measuring the QFT.