The diagnosis of bladder cancer: are we missing a teachable moment for smoking cessation?

Cigarette smoking is a well-established risk factor for developing bladder cancer (BC), with as many as half of the cases being attributable to tobacco smoke exposure (1). The diagnosis of a smoking-related morbidity has been traditionally considered a special opportunity for introducing smoking cessation intervention, or a so-called “teachable moment” (2). For this reason, a new diagnosis of BC in a smoking patient could serve as this teachable moment and, if not missed, lead to clinical benefits of smoking cessation.