Women who stop smoking reduce their risk of developing bladder cancer.

This was one of the findings of a prospective study of 37,459 women taking part in the Iowa Women's Health Study. Another finding was that diabetes was also a potential risk factor. The study was carried out by Aaron Folsom, MD, Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and colleagues. The women completed baseline questionnaires in 1986 and were followed up for 13 years for bladder carcinoma incidence. One hundred and twelve women developed bladder cancer during the study. The adjusted relative risk (RR) in women who were current smokers compared with women who had never smoked was 3.58 (95 percent CI=1.86-6.88). The RR was found to decline as years since stopping smoking increased. Married women, compared with unmarried women, had a RR of 0.66 (95 percent CI=0.44-0.99). In addition, a 2.46 fold (95 percent CI=1.32-4.59) increase in bladder cancer was found for women who reported diabetes compared with those who did not. Women who exercised regularly compared with those who were not physically active decreased their risk of bladder cancer (RR=0.66;95 percent CI=0.43-1.01). Body mass index was also inversely associated with bladder carcinoma incidence. Dr Folsom concluded, " We confirmed that cigarette smoking is an important risk factor for bladder carcinoma in women. Women who had quit smoking had a reduction of risk."

<< Prev	CIGoutlet.NET News Home	Next >>