Besides putting people at risk for a particular type of bladder cancer, cigarette smoking may also decrease the odds of surviving the disease, according to a new study. But research he presented Monday in Dallas at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association suggests that people who continue smoking after being diagnosed with TCC are less likely to beat the disease than those who quit smoking.
Experts believe that chemicals in tobacco smoke make their way through the body into urine.
When urine accumulates in the bladder, these chemicals may damage the lining of the organ. The Atlanta-based group estimates that 54,500 people are diagnosed with bladder cancer annually, making it the fifth most common type of cancer in the United States. Each year, the disease kills about 11,700 Americans.