Selected risk factors for transitional cell bladder cancer

Cancer of the bladder has long been associated with environmental risk fact ors, such as occupational hazards and smoking. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the contribution of known risk factors on a community basi s in the 1990s, in view of the recent worldwide efforts to control environm ental hazards. The study population included 140 male patients and 280 matc hed controls. Information on demographic data, occupational exposure, smoki ng habits and disease history was obtained by personal interviews. Our stud y confirmed the role of industrial occupation (OR = 2.21; 95% CI = 1.21-4.0 2) and exposure to 3 or more metals (OR = 3.65; 95% CI = 1.21-11.08) as ris k factors. Prostate enlargement was also found significant, but probably no t causal (OR = 2.23; 95% CI = 1.29-3.87). Surprisingly, smoking showed only an inconsistent association with higher rates among those who started to s moke before 18 years of age (OR = 2.64; 95% CI = 1.4-4.99) and those who sm oked more than 30 cigarettes per day (OR = 1.82; 95% CI = 0.95-3.49). The a bove data suggest that current efforts to reduce the load of bladder cancer in the population, via environmental measures, have not as yet yielded sig nificant effects.