3. Epidemiology and aetiology
Bladder cancer (BC) is the seventh and tenth most commonly diagnosed cancer in males and females worldwide, respectively [2]. The worldwide age-standardised incidence rate (per 100,000 person/years) is 9.5 in men and 2.4 in women [2]. In the European Union, the age-standardised incidence rate is 20 in men and 4.6 in women [2]. Approximately 75% of patients with BC present with a disease confined to the mucosa (stage Ta, CIS) or submucosa (stage T1). This percentage is even higher in younger patients (< 40 years of age) [3].
Tobacco smoking is the single most important risk factor for BC, accounting for approximately 50% of cases [4-7]. Occupational exposure to aromatic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and chlorinated hydrocarbons is the second most important risk factor for BC, accounting for approximately 10% of all cases. This type of occupational exposure occurs mainly in industrial plants that process paint, dye, metal and petroleum products [4, 5, 8, 9].