A 60-year-old man had a past history of urothelial carcinoma of the left renal pelvis treated with laparoscopic left total nephroureterectomy in October 2004. He underwent transurethral resection of the bladder tumor (TUR-Bt) twice for recurrence of urothelial carcinoma in the bladder in April 2014 and February 2015, and subsequently received intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) instillation at weekly intervalsfor prevention of recurrence. In November 2016, a year and a half after BCG induction, he received BCG therapy after urethral bougie to dilate the urethral stricture. After BCG therapy, he exhibited a continuously high fever. Immediate antituberculosis drug therapy in consideration of BCG sepsis failed to improve the symptoms, and all cultures from urine and blood were negative for mycobacterium tuberculosis. Serum liver enzyme was markedly elevated and chest CT showed diffuse interstitial shadows in both lower lungs. Thus, we considered that these symptoms were caused by a hypersensitivity reaction to BCG and started pulse steroid therapy. After pulse steroid therapy, body temperature, and hepatic function became normal and interstitial pneumonia subsided.
Keywords: BCG; Hypersensitivity reaction.