title: Epidemiology of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder: profile of an urban population in the south-west of England.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To produce an epidemiological profile of patients with transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder living in the city of Bristol (south-west England), to determine if TCC tumorigenesis is linked to possible risk factors (occupational exposure, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and coffee consumption) and to assess phenotypic acetylation status and thus determine whether there may be a genetic component to tumour development.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional observational epidemiological study recruited both cases and controls from one-stop haematuria clinics, providing two groups with a similar age and sex distribution. Before diagnosis, all patients were interviewed by the same researcher and results recorded on a specially designed database questionnaire, to eliminate both recall and investigator bias. Metabolic studies were also performed before diagnosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were significant associations for occupational exposure, cigarette smoking, and beer consumption (but not wine or spirits), but no significant association with coffee consumption. Slow acetylation status also conferred an increased risk. There were linear trends in terms of dose-response for both beer and cigarette consumption, although this was significant only for cigarettes. There was no difference in risk between the use of filtered or unfiltered cigarettes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Occupational exposure and cigarette smoking have been well documented as risk factors in the development of TCC of the bladder, as has slow acetylation status. There are very few studies linking bladder cancer with alcohol consumption. It is important to subdivide types of alcohol consumed when considering this factor in an epidemiological study. In the case of beer, methods used by different brewing processes may also contribute to differences found, were such a study to be performed on a national scale.
authors.affiliation: Bristol Urological Institute, Southmead Hospital, UK.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Probert
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Persad
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Greenwood
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Gillatt
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000107:Acetylation; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D002295:Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D010641:Phenotype; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D014504:Urban Health; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000378:metabolism