The impact of cigarette smoking on stage, grade and number of recurrences of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.

The records of 386 patients with diagnosed transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder were reviewed to determine a correlation between smoking history, and stage, grade and number of recurrences of transitional cell carcinoma. A significant association was detected between smoking history and all 3 variables. Within this military population 79 per cent of the patients were noted to have a smoking history, which is higher than most previously studied groups. These data further confirm the association between cigarette smoking and transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder, and suggest that cigarette smoking within the military population may portend a much higher cancer risk in this group.