Instillation of bacillus Calmette-Guerin into the renal pelvis of a solitary kidney for the treatment of transitional cell carcinoma

Intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin is effective in the treatment and prophylaxis of superficial urothelial cancer of the bladder. There have been few reports of its efficacy and toxicity when instilled into the upper urinary tract. We elected to use intracavitary bacillus Calmette-Guerin in a patient with recurrent high grade transitional cell carcinoma in the renal pelvis of a solitary autotransplanted kidney. The patient required hospitalization and triple-drug therapy after 5 instillations. She was free of tumor 1 year after bacillus Calmette-Guerin instillations.