PURPOSE:

We review how the bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine evolved to become standard therapy for superficial bladder cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

We reviewed the historical literature describing the origin of the bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine as an anticancer agent and its singular success as the most effective immunotherapy used against a human neoplasm.

RESULTS:

The association between tuberculosis and cancer, and the demonstration that bacillus Calmette-Guerin invoked immunological reactivity, inhibiting tumor growth in experimental animal models, led to clinical trials showing that intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin eradicated and prevented recurrence of superficial bladder tumors.

CONCLUSIONS:

For the last 3 decades bacillus Calmette-Guerin therapy has remained the most effective local therapy for superficial bladder cancer, an outstanding example of successful translational medicine in urology.