WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Frequent use of marijuana may impose a risk of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) in addition to the risk for head, neck and lung cancers traditionally associated with smoking pot and tobacco, according to a report in the January issue of Urology.
Martha K. Terris, M.D., from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, and colleagues conducted a study of Vietnam-era veterans in whom marijuana use was high. Fifty-two men, aged 60 years or less, who presented with TCC to VA facilities in Augusta and Palo Alto, Calif., were given questionnaires regarding their exposure to marijuana, tobacco, Agent Orange, and other potential carcinogens and were compared to age-matched controls.
The investigators found that 88.5% of patients presenting with TCC reported marijuana use compared with 69.2% in the control group. Mean "joint"-years (product of joints per day and years smoked) per TCC patient was 48.0 versus 28.5 for the controls.
Marijuana use has been associated with cancers outside the pharynx and lung but the link has not been firmly established. Young patients presenting with microhematuria and/or irritative voiding symptoms should be questioned about marijuana use and those with TCC should be discouraged from using marijuana, the authors conclude.
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