Tobacco Use and Bladder Cancer

According to a study published in Cancer, patients with bladder cancer, smoking status and primary source of information correlate with awareness of the harms of tobacco use.

Jeffrey C. Basset, M.D., M.P.H., from the University of California in Los Angeles, and colleagues surveyed a stratified, random sample of bladder cancer survivors about tobacco use, risk factors, and sources of information on the causes of bladder cancer.

Of the 790 eligible participants who completed the survey, 68 percent had a history of tobacco use and 19 percent were active smokers at baseline. It was found that tobacco use was the most cited risk factor for bladder cancer, with active smokers more knowledgeable than former or non smokers (90 versus 64 and 61 percent, respectively; P < 0.001).

Urologists were the predominant source of information, with active smokers most often citing them (82 percent). Multivariate analyses revealed that active smokers had 6.37-fold higher odds of endorsing tobacco use as a risk factor for bladder cancer compared to non smokers.

Meanwhile, smokers who cited their urologist as their information source had 2.80-fold higher odds of believing their cancer was caused by tobacco use. “Urologists play a critical role in ensuring patients’ knowledge of the connection between smoking and bladder cancer, particularly for active smokers who may be motivated to quit,” the authors write.