BCG vs Gem/Doce (gemcitabine and docetaxel) chemo?

Find an oncology urologist and cancer hospital. BCG has been used for more than 40 years and stimulates your immune system to attack the cancer. My first six treatments did not succeed so I just finished my second round of six to see if it worked. BCG side effects are not much of anything. There is about 90 seconds of minor discomfort while the put the catheter in place and instill the BCG and remove the catheter. I suppose that if my second round did not work, they’ll likely do the GEM/DOCE next. That’s a longer process, but BCG is usually a first step. I’m a 73 years old male.

I am 72 years old and had a similar diagnosis. Gem/Doce is working well for me.
I don’t have any experience with BCG. However, my chemo team prefers Gem/Doce protocol

I had the same diagnosis. My pathology slides were examined by the Vesta AI system, which told my team that BCG would not work for me.
I have just had my fourth maintenance instillation after six weeks intro with Gem/Doce. Virtually no side effects and NED at second cystoscopy check.
Good luck!

Yes, getting with an oncology clinic that is nationally recognized is critical. I keep hearing about misdiagnoses and bad recommendations regarding bladder cancer, so go to the best you can. Regarding BCG, it’s referred to as the gold standard, so that would be a typical approach. Plus it is sometimes required first before turning to a newer treatment plan.

My husband, 80 yrs old, is finishing 24 Gem/Doce treatments after the usual 6 week start, as part of a trial at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He did not have BCG and his diagnosis was the same as yours. No serious side effects other than the usual fatigue and one UTI which was quickly treated. He is about to start the usual monitoring via cystoscopy. The trial should wrap up in 2027 and as it was quite large it should provide insight into the two treatments side by side. The other cohort received the standard BCG treatment.

I'll be 79 the end of July and have had two unsuccessful rounds of BCG. My Dr is now talking about trying Gen/Doce because BCG doesn't seem to work for me. I'll update later, if we go that route.

@pol7 please update as I have had 12 BCG treatments and have a cystoscopy at the end of July and may be faced with similar choices.

, @kevinpm
Will do. My next scoping is on August 14th. Let me know how yours turns out.

@pol7 I, too, would be interested in knowing how it goes for you. I am completing a six-treatment round of BCG (had a six-treatment round in 2024 and then Adstiladrin for a year) and will have a scope in mid-August. I want to think about my choices before the decision is due.