SCIENTISTS based at the University of York investigating the causes of bladder cancer have made a breakthrough in research into the disease’s links with smoking.

Researchers from the Jack Birch Unit (JBU) at the university have recreated the tell-tale signs of cancer-causing DNA damage in cells exposed to a common toxin from cigarette smoke.

It’s hoped the discovery will help scientists understand how bladder cancer begins and its links to smoking.

Dr Simon Baker, from the JBU, said: “Smoking is the main risk factor, but the way that smoking causes bladder cancer is not understood.”

The York study found that the smoke toxin left its distinctive fingerprints on the DNA of bladder tissues. However, when they looked at the DNA of patients’ bladder cancers this pattern was only responsible for a small amount of the damage.

So, despite smoking being the key risk factor for bladder cancer, direct damage of the DNA by smoke toxins is unlikely to be the main reason for these cancers forming. The research was funded primarily by York Against Cancer.