Bladder Cancer: Bacterial Treatment Did you know that bladder cancer can be treated with bacteria? In the procedure, a solution of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), the weakened bacteria used in tuberculosis vaccines, is injected directly into the bladder via a catheter. The bacteria mobilize an immune response that helps to destroy the tumor. Unfortunately, this immunotherapy method is limited to superficial cancers along the lining of the bladder, so researchers are working to develop genetically modified bacteria that attack tumors directly. This year, bladder cancer will cause about 14,330 deaths in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Men are three times more likely than women to develop and die from the disease.