Most people are aware that smoking is associated with various cancers, including cancer of the lung and mouth, yet many may be surprised to learn that the risk of bladder cancer in current smokers is more than three times greater than it is for non-smokers. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association by researchers from the National Cancer Institute, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Health and Human Services confirms this association.
After following over 280,000 men and about 186,000 women between 1995 and 2006 who filled out lifestyle questionnaires, the researchers found that the link between bladder cancer and smoking is stronger now than it was 30 years ago especially among women even though the prevalence of smoking has decreased during that period of time.
According to the study authors, "These observations parallel those previously reported for lung cancer. In the latter case, there s a strong association between it and changes in cigarette design and smoking. A similar phenomenon may be at work here.