NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -
While most people know that
smoking can cause lung cancer, a new study shows that few know
that it is a major risk factor for bladder cancer — even among
people who have the disease.

In a research review published in the Journal of Urology,
investigators found that in one recent study, just over one
third of adults knew that smoking raises the risk of bladder
cancer. In contrast, 98 percent correctly identified the habit
as a risk factor for lung cancer.

What's more, a study of patients with early-stage bladder
cancer found that just 22 percent knew that smoking contributes
to the disease.

All of this points to a serious shortcoming in patient
education, according to Drs. Seth A. Strope and James E. Montie
of the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor.

“A big gap exists between patient knowledge and their
actual risk,” Strope said in a written statement.

Smoking is believed to be responsible for half of bladder
cancer cases, the researchers note, so quitting could
substantially reduce a smoker's risk of the disease. And for
people who've been successfully treated for early bladder
cancer, quitting can reduce the chances of a recurrence.

One study Strope and Montie reviewed found that when
smokers with bladder cancer quit after their diagnosis, they
reduced their risk of recurrence by about 30 percent compared
with patients who continued to smoke.

Despite this, the researchers found that many smokers —
even those with bladder cancer — say their doctor never
advised them to quit. In a government study of U.S. adults,
only half of smokers with a physician said they had received
advice to quit. And a UK study of bladder cancer patients found
that only 7 percent said their urologist had told them to quit
smoking.

“Our study suggests that physicians must do a much better
job of communicating the risk to our patients, and directing
them toward smoking cessation programs,” Strope said.

SOURCE: Journal of Urology, July 2008.