Role of cigarette smoking in urological malignancies and clinical interventions for smoking cessation

INTRODUCTION: Cigarette smoking is the single greatest preventable cause of disease and death. Our literature review highlights the increased risk of cigarette smoking and kidney cancer, bladder cancer and prostate cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Smoking cessation improves outcomes at all stages of these disease processes, where patients who quit for 10–20 years appear to obtain a similar risk as those who have never smoked, even after diagnosis of disease. RESULTS: Urologists, however, very seldom provide smoking cessation assistance. By applying brief smoking cessation intervention techniques, physicians’ posses an effective means of providing quitting advice. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who receive smoking cessation advice from their urologist are 2.3 times more likely to attempt to quit. Urologists are well-positioned to screen, counsel, and promote cessation at regular intervals, which may improve quit rates, and ultimately improve our patients’ outcomes.