NEWS RELEASES
10/29/02 News Release
PRINT MEDIA CONTACT: Michelle Brandt at (650) 723-0272 ()
BROADCAST MEDIA CONTACT: Neale Mulligan at (650) 724-2454 ()
STANFORD CLINICAL TRIAL WILL TEST PROMISING TREATMENT FOR INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS
STANFORD, Calif. Stanford University Medical Center is one of 10 centers in the United States and Canada participating in a phase-III clinical trial of a promising new therapy for interstitial cystitis, a chronic and painful bladder condition that primarily affects women. The multicenter trial is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.
Investigators are looking at whether the bacterium Bacillus Calmette-Guerin
will relieve the pelvic pain and frequent, urgent urination that are
hallmarks of the disease. BCG is already commonly used as a vaccine for
tuberculosis and as a treatment for some cases of bladder cancer.
"BCG appears to stimulate an immune response," said Christopher
K. Payne, MD, associate professor of urology and principal investigator
for the trial at Stanford. "The bacteria attaches to the wall of
the bladder and changes the immune environment of the bladder." Based
on a small pilot study, the therapy appears to work, he said. Of those
treated with BCG, 60 percent responded well, compared with 27 percent
in the placebo group. When researchers later treated the placebo group
with BCG, 67 percent responded. The effects of the treatment
also appear to be long-lasting, Payne said.
Participants will be randomly assigned to have either the BCG treatment
or a saline solution placebo delivered via catheter to the bladder during
six clinic visits. Patients whose symptoms are not relieved by the placebo
later will be offered treatment with BCG.
Interstitial cystitis affects approximately 700,000 people in the United States, according to the Interstitial Cystitis Foundation. Of those, only 10 percent to 20 percent are male. It is a debilitating disease that severely diminishes quality of life. "Unfortunately, there has been little research done on this disease and there are few effective therapies to offer patients," Payne said.
Stanford is seeking volunteers to participate in this ongoing trial. Interested interstitial cystitis patients who have not responded to previous therapies or who have pain and frequent urination can contact Stanford's Urology Clinic at (650) 723-6024 for more information.
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The Stanford University School of Medicine consistently ranks among the nation’s top 10 medical schools, integrating research, medical education, patient care and community service. For more news about the school, please visit http://mednews.stanford.edu. The medical school is part of Stanford Medicine, which includes Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. For information about all three, please visit http://stanfordmedicine.org/about/news.html.
