If smoking increases the risk of bladder cancer, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in the United States wanted to know if the same was true for vaping. A pilot study was therefore carried out and the results revealed a potential link between the use of electronic cigarettes and bladder cancer.
A RISK OF BLADDER CANCER IN THE VAPOR?
The results of a recent pilot study carried out in University of Pittsburgh Medical Center have shown a potential link between electronic cigarette use and bladder cancer. During the presentation of the study during the annual meeting of theAmerican Urological Association, Sam S. Chang, Professor of Urologic Surgery declared " We know that smoking increases the risk of bladder cancer and, given the popularity of electronic cigarettes, it is imperative to know if there is a potential link between e-cigarettes and bladder cancer. »
While e-cigarettes are considered healthier than traditional cigarettes, the makeup of e-liquids remains complex and unregulated. There are a wide variety of formulas and some may contain known bladder carcinogens such as nitrosamines, formaldehyde, acrolein, metals, and acetaldehyde. The study found that urine samples taken from e-cigarette users had some of these known carcinogens.
« Our motivation in the development of this study is the fact that the e-cigarette is a useful tool for smokers who wish to quit smoking, it is a kind of safe alternative" , said Tatum Tarin, professor of Urology at the University of Pittsburgh and principal investigator of the study in an interview with Targeted Oncology.
For this study, researchers collected urine samples from thirteen e-cigarette users and ten non-smokers who also did not use e-cigarettes. Using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, they tested the samples for five molecules known to be bladder carcinogens that are already present in cigarettes or in common solvents known to be used in some e-liquid formulas.
These molecules are: benzanthracene, benzopyrene, 1-hydroxypyrene, o-toluidine, 2-naphthylamine. Patients reported not smoking cigarettes for at least 6 months before sample collection. The samples from the ten control patients were tested with
negative results for 5 molecules.
Concerning benzanthracene, benzopyrene, 1-hydroxypyrene, they were not identified in any sample of electronic cigarette users. The Pr Tatum Tarin explained that the two molecules identified in vapers (O-toluidine and 2-naphthylamine) have been studied for a very long time, they are known to be detectable in smokers and to be cancerous agents of the bladder. In addition, 9 of the 13 e-cigarette users reported being non-smokers for more than 12 months.
Compared to the control group of non-smokers, electronic cigarette users had higher levels of these carcinogens. The researchers determined that further studies should clarify the safety profile of e-cigarettes and their contribution to the risk of bladder cancer, given the increased concentration of carcinogenic compounds detected in the urine of the vapers in this study.
For Professor Tatum Tarin, " It will be important to try to quantify all of this over the long term, to see what the real effects are on bladder cancer and if any patients have bladder cancer. »Adding« It is a simple principle of precaution. In 50 years, we don't want our kids to say “we thought vaping was safe but it wasn't”"
Source : Targetedonc.com
