Impact of a bladder cancer diagnosis on smoking behavior

Bladder cancer is the second most common tobacco-related malignancy. A new bladder cancer diagnosis may be an opportunity to imprint smoking cessation. Little is known about the impact of a diagnosis of bladder cancer on patterns of tobacco use and smoking cessation among patients with incident bladder cancer.

A simple random sample of noninvasive bladder cancer survivors diagnosed in 2006 was obtained from the California Cancer Registry. Respondents completed a survey on history of tobacco use, beliefs regarding bladder cancer risk factors, and physician influence on tobacco cessation. Respondents were compared by smoking status. Those respondents smoking at diagnosis were compared with general population controls obtained from the California Tobacco Survey to determine the impact of a diagnosis of bladder cancer on patterns of tobacco use.

The response rate was 70% (344 of 492 eligible participants). Most respondents (74%) had a history of cigarette use. Seventeen percent of all respondents were smoking at diagnosis. Smokers with a new diagnosis of bladder cancer were almost five times as likely to quit smoking as smokers in the general population (48% v 10%, respectively; P < .001). The bladder cancer diagnosis and the advice of the urologist were the reasons cited most often for cessation. Respondents were more likely to endorse smoking as a risk factor for bladder cancer when the urologist was the source of their understanding.

The diagnosis of bladder cancer is an opportunity for smoking cessation. Urologists can play an integral role in affecting the patterns of tobacco use of those newly diagnosed.