Health. Bladder cancer: Did you know that smoking is the primary risk factor?

In France, between 13,000 and 20,000 cases of bladder cancer are diagnosed each year. Why such a wide range?

"Since many cancers are diagnosed at an early stage – non-muscle-infiltrating – there remains an anatomopathological ambiguity regarding the term cancer. Some more superficial tumors are not considered cancers. However, these patients suffer from a cancerous pathology, at risk of recurrence," explains Professor Yann Neuzillet, urologist at Foch Hospital and secretary general of the French Association of Urology (AFU), during a press conference organized on April 29, 2025.

Thus, bladder cancer is a fairly common pathology, "the fourth most common cancer in the world and one of the cancers that kills the most. It is a cancer that is much more common and much more serious than we think," adds Benjamin Pradère, urologist in Toulouse and member of the AFU.

Tobacco is now the leading risk factor for bladder cancer.

"The carcinogens we inhale, especially those from tobacco, are eliminated in the urine. Since the bladder acts as a reservoir, it stores these carcinogens for long hours. The urothelial mucosa is therefore exposed to their aggressiveness, which promotes the occurrence of genetic mutations that can develop into cancer," explains Professor Neuzillet. And according to Dr. Pradère, "more than 50% of patients with bladder cancer have been or are smokers."

Tobacco is classified as a definite carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and according to the Léon-Berard Anti-Cancer Centre in Lyon, the causal link between tobacco and bladder cancer was established by experts in 1985.

Of the 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, some have been specifically identified as promoting bladder cancer.

According to the AFU website , "the older and more intense the consumption, the higher the risk." Today, it is considered that the risk of a smoker developing bladder cancer is 5.5 times higher than that of a non-smoker.

Please note : Under certain conditions, bladder cancer can be recognized as an occupational disease. The cause is occupational exposure to carcinogenic substances such as aromatic amines and hydrocarbons. Hairdressing, beauty, the manufacture or use of inks and paints, industries (dyes, rubber, textiles, printing, etc.), foundries, metallurgy, coal, etc. are all sectors where the risk exists.