Aetiological factors of bladder cancer in the Aegean region of Turkey between the years 1985-1996.

A great majority of urological cases are bladder tumours. The purpose of this study is to bring out the aetiological factors related to bladder tumours. The parameters such as age, sex, profession, age at tumour occurrence, smoking, drinking habits, such as the level of consumption of tea and coffee, and accompanying urological diseases were evaluated. Three hundred and forty-seven patients with bladder tumours were included in this study. Of them 332 (95.6%) were males and 15 (4.4%) females. The average age was 62.1 (22-87) years. Of the patients 326 (93.9%) smoked, 175 (50.4%) lived in cities and the other 49.6% lived in the countryside. Of the tumours 89.9% were transitional cell carcinomas. In conclusion, bladder tumours are closely related to consumption of tobacco factors and profession. The risk of tumour development increases progressively in people who are exposed to industrial agents and agricultural chemicals.