EJMCR |

Case Report

Volume: 5 | Issue: 1 | Published: Jan 20, 2021 | Pages: 18 - 21 | DOI: 10.24911/ejmcr/173-1592252959

Shingles infection resulting from BCG treatment for bladder cancer: a case report

Authors: Vivian Wong , Diana M. Lopategui , Elias Atri , Akshay Bhandari

Article Info

Authors

Vivian Wong

Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA

Diana M. Lopategui

Division of Urology, Columbia University Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami, FL, USA

Elias Atri

Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA

Akshay Bhandari

Division of Urology, Columbia University Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami, FL, USA

Publication History

Received: June 15, 2020

Revised: October 04, 2020

Accepted: October 04, 2020

Published: January 20, 2021

Abstract

Background: Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) bladder instillations have been long known to successfully treat non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. The objective of this report is to highlight the first case to our knowledge of Varicella Zoster virus (VZV) shingles reactivation to BCG. Case presentation: An 80-year-old male with history of Parkinsons disease and recurring high-grade T1 bladder cancer. Five days after first repeat BCG instillation, patient presented to the emergency room with a progressively worsening rash that started 1 day after treatment, characterized as VZV shingles reactivation. Intravenous acyclovir treatment produced rapid clinical improvement. Conclusion: Reactivation of dormant VZV infection may be a reaction to BCG intravesical instillation. This is, to the authors knowledge, the first documented case of this complication. Although coincidence cannot be completely ruled out, the timing of this case and the context of immunosuppression-immunomodulation inherent to BCG therapy make causality plausible.

Keywords: BCG, shingles, bladder cancer, adverse reaction, varicella zoster, case report, green

Pubmed Style

Vivian Wong, Diana M. Lopategui, Elias Atri, Akshay Bhandari. Shingles infection resulting from BCG treatment for bladder cancer: a case report. EJMCR. 2021; 20 (January 2021): 18-21. doi:10.24911/ejmcr/173-1592252959

Web Style

Vivian Wong, Diana M. Lopategui, Elias Atri, Akshay Bhandari. Shingles infection resulting from BCG treatment for bladder cancer: a case report. https://ejmcr.com/articles/1117 [Access: December 25, 2024]. doi:10.24911/ejmcr/173-1592252959

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Vancouver/ICMJE Style

Vivian Wong, Diana M. Lopategui, Elias Atri, Akshay Bhandari. Shingles infection resulting from BCG treatment for bladder cancer: a case report. EJMCR. (2021), [cited December 25, 2024]; 20 (January 2021): 18-21. doi:10.24911/ejmcr/173-1592252959

Harvard Style

Vivian Wong, Diana M. Lopategui, Elias Atri, Akshay Bhandari (2021) Shingles infection resulting from BCG treatment for bladder cancer: a case report. EJMCR, 20 (January 2021): 18-21. doi:10.24911/ejmcr/173-1592252959

Chicago Style

Vivian Wong, Diana M. Lopategui, Elias Atri, Akshay Bhandari. "Shingles infection resulting from BCG treatment for bladder cancer: a case report." 20 (2021), 18-21. doi:10.24911/ejmcr/173-1592252959

MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Vivian Wong, Diana M. Lopategui, Elias Atri, Akshay Bhandari. "Shingles infection resulting from BCG treatment for bladder cancer: a case report." 20.January 2021 (2021), 18-21. Print. doi:10.24911/ejmcr/173-1592252959

APA (American Psychological Association) Style

Vivian Wong, Diana M. Lopategui, Elias Atri, Akshay Bhandari (2021) Shingles infection resulting from BCG treatment for bladder cancer: a case report. , 20 (January 2021), 18-21. doi:10.24911/ejmcr/173-1592252959