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Increased Smoking-Related Bladder Cancer Risk over Time

It is well-established that smoking is a cause of bladder cancer. However, the relative impact of different smoking practices is unclear, and very few studies have examined the change in bladder cancer risk from smoking in the same geographic region over time. Using data from a large case–control study conducted in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont in 2001 to 2004, Baris et al. (p. 1553 ) examine the effects of smoking practices, including how long one has smoked, how many cigarettes per day, and how recently one has quit, on bladder cancer risk. In addition, they compare the 2001–2004 New Hampshire data to data from two similar case–control studies that were carried out there in 1994–1998 and 1998–2001. They find a statistically significant increase in bladder cancer risk over each successive time period among former and current smokers compared with never-smokers. Although the reason for this increase is not clear, the authors suggest that it may be partly related to changes in cigarette design and composition over time.