Which statement correctly identifies a major risk factor for bladder cancer?

• A. Bladder cancer is strongly associated with smoking and exposure to aromatic amines
• B. RCC is not linked to smoking
• C. Kidney stones cause bladder cancer
• D. Prostate cancer is the main urinary tract cancer

Answer: (A)

The major risk factors for bladder cancer center on carcinogens that reach and linger in the bladder, especially tobacco-related chemicals and certain industrial aromatic amines. Smoking introduces many carcinogens that are filtered into the urine and repeatedly contact the bladder lining, increasing the likelihood of mutations in the urothelium. In addition, exposure to aromatic amines found in industries like dye manufacturing, rubber, and textiles markedly raises bladder cancer risk because these chemicals are excreted in urine and concentrate in the bladder, enhancing mutagenic exposure over time. This combination—smoking plus aromatic amine exposure—best explains why bladder cancer is strongly linked to these factors.

Other statements don’t fit as well because they misplace risk associations: smoking does contribute to renal cell carcinoma, but the strongest, most specific link for bladder cancer is smoking and aromatic amine exposure; kidney stones aren’t established as a major cancer risk factor for bladder cancer; and prostate cancer is not a urinary tract cancer in the sense of bladder or kidney cancer.