NIH Links Cigarette Smoking and Bladder Cancer in Women

The National Cancer Institute (NCI), a division of the National Institutes of Health, released the results of its study this week indicating that cigarette smokers face a greater risk of bladder cancer than previously reported. Moreover, the findings, which were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that smoking caused approximately 50 percent of the cases of bladder cancer in women, and women's risk of contracting bladder cancer is now equal to that of men.

According to previous studies, only 20 to 30 percent of cases of bladder cancer in women were caused by smoking. Neal Freedman, one of the authors of the study told PBS, "Ours is the first study to indicate the proportion of bladder cancer linked to smoking is, in fact, the same" for men and women. The researchers suggested that the this may be because the number of women smokers has increased to equal the number of men who smoke.

Christian Abnet PhD, senior author of the study, stated, "Our findings provide additional evidence of the importance of preventing smoking initiation and promoting cessation for both men and women."

Media Resources: NIH 8/16/11; PBS 8/16/11

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