Efficacy and safety of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin for bladder cancer: A protocol of systematic review

BACKGROUND: This study will systematically assess the efficacy and safety of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) for patients with bladder cancer (BC). METHODS: Literature searches will be performed in multiple electronic databases from inception to present: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Science Direct, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. We will also examine grey literature through identifying conference proceedings, thesis, dissertations, and website of clinical trials registry. Two investigators will independently scan all citation titles, abstracts, and full-text studies. The study quality will be assessed by Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. If possible, we will perform meta-analysis. Additional analyses will be carried out to test the potential sources of heterogeneity among included trials. RESULTS: The present study will summarize high quality trials on investigating the efficacy and safety of BCG for patients with BC. CONCLUSION: The results of this study will supply helpful evidence to determine whether BCG is effective or not for BC. STUDY REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202070042.