|
Back to 2011 Program
Smoking Knowledge Assessment and Cessation Trends in Patients with Bladder Cancer Presenting to a Tertiary Referral Center
Mark S Hockenberry1, Thomas J Guzzo1, Phillip Mucksavage2, Trinity J Bivalacqua3, Mark P Schoenberg3
1University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA;2University of California, Irvine, CA;3Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
Introduction: Smoking is the leading risk factor for bladder cancer (BC) in industrialized nations. Little information is available regarding BC patients' knowledge of smoking's risks and the role of their urologists in initiating smoking cessation at the time of diagnosis.
Materials & Methods: A smoking knowledge and cessation questionnaire was administered to 71 patients referred to a tertiary referral center for BC from April 2008 to June 2009. The questionnaire captures data on demographics, BC history, smoking status and history, risk factor knowledge, and cessation patterns.
Results: The mean age of the cohort was 65.1 (range: 42-86) years and 72% were male. At the time of referral, 71 (100%) patients knew smoking was a risk factor for lung cancer compared to 61 (86%) for that of BC. Only 36 (51%) patients knew smoking was the leading risk factor for BC. Of the 17 (24%) patients smoking at the time of their BC diagnosis, 12 (71%) were counseled by their referring urologist to quit smoking, however the significant majority (76%) were not offered any specific intervention.
Conclusions: The association between smoking and BC was not as well known as that of lung cancer in our cohort of patients. Most current smokers were advised to stop smoking by their primary urologist; however few were offered any intervention to aid cessation. Urologists should assume a more active role both in educating patients regarding smoking's link to BC and in initiating smoking cessation.
Back to 2011 Program
|
