Smokers and tobacco users identify the link between their smoking and bladder cancer

According to a new study, published in the journal Cancer, around 50% bladder cancer cases in the U.S. is due to cigarette smoking. Bladder cancer is the second most common tobacco-related ailment. Quitting smoking after the diagnosis of cancer may help improve rates of survival and decreased risk of developing cancer for the second time.

Jeffrey Bassett, MD, University of California said that for people, who are smoking at the time of diagnosis of the cancer, the first line of information that could help them quit smoking is knowing that smoking caused the cancer, and if they continue smoking, it will result in more harm.

Researchers conducted a survey with 790 bladder cancer patients. Nearly 60% were using tobacco and 19% were smokers at the time they got diagnosed with the cancer. The most common cause of bladder cancer has been attributed to the use of tobacco. Tobacco users and smokers got information regarding the risk from urologists. Active smokers had 6 times more likelihood than non-smokers of acknowledging tobacco use as a cause for bladder cancer. Smokers, who acknowledged urologist as their information source, had 3 times more likelihood of believing that their cancer was caused by the use of tobacco.

According to Dr. Bassett, this is the first study of its kind, where informed bladder cancer patients readily accepted that their smoking caused the cancer as against the commonly held belief that smokers generally refuse to accept that their smoking or use of tobacco caused the health consequence. Thus, there is an important role of physician in assuring that their patients are well aware about the effect of smoking on cancer. Patients, who have knowledge about this, are in a better position to manage their bladder cancer by quitting smoking, thereby enhancing their chances of survival.

 Source: sciencedaily.com