The physician orders cystoscopy and random biopsies of the bladder for a client who reports painless hematuria. Test results reveal carcinoma in situ in several bladder regions. To treat bladder cancer, the client will have a series of intravesical instillations of bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), administered 1 week apart. When teaching the client about BCG, the nurse should mention that this drug commonly causes:
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is a form of immunotherapy used to treat bladder cancer by stimulating the immune system to attack cancer cells in the bladder. One of the common side effects of BCG therapy is hematuria, which is the presence of blood in the urine. This can be expected due to the irritation caused by the BCG instillations in the bladder lining. Hematuria is usually mild to moderate and can resolve on its own without specific treatment.