BACKGROUND-AIM:
Tobacco smoking remains the strongest modifiable risk factor for genitourinary cancers. It contributes to disease incidence, recurrence, progression, treatment complications, and mortality. However, many urologists do not routinely address tobacco dependence or provide cessation support. This study aims to evaluate beliefs and attitudes of urologists to tobacco smoking as a risk factor and their clinical practices in smoking cessation counselling as an effective intervention in prevention and treatment of urinary cancers.

METHODS:
A cross-sectional, multi-country survey is planned to be conducted among urologists in Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. The survey is based on a structured online questionnaire initially designed by group of American urologists and conducted among members of the American Urological Association on their smoking cessation practices (Bjurlin et al. Journal of Urology 2010). It includes 1/ urologist’s patients smoking status, 2/ urologists’ attitudes toward smoking cessation and perceived role as patient’s counsellors, 3/ knowledge of urologists on available smoking cessation interventions, 4/ their prior training in tobacco dependence treatment and access to cessation resources, 6/ perceived barriers to providing smoking cessation counselling, 7/ frequency and type of cessation support offered. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression models will be used to identify predictors for urologist’s smoking cessation assistance, including training, years of practice, volume of cancer patients treated, and personal smoking history.

RESULTS:
The study is expected to provide the first comparative assessment of smoking cessation practices among urologists in Central Europe. We expect to identify substantial variation in clinical engagement of urologists caused by their limited confidence, inadequate training, and scarce access to evidence-based cessation tools. The analysis will likely reveal gaps in urologist’s knowledge, inconsistencies in patient’s counselling, and system-level barriers. Predictors of proactive cessation support are expected to mirror earlier findings, with formal training and higher exposure to smoking-attributable bladder cancer cases. Real research data and analyses will be presented during the 2026 ECTOH in Milan, Italy.

CONCLUSIONS:
This study will generate reliable, country-specific insights into urologists’ readiness, knowledge, and barriers regarding smoking cessation counselling for genitourinary patients in Europe. By identifying predictors for providing cessation assistance and highlighting areas of deficiency, the results will inform on future strategies for national urological societies, healthcare institutions, and public health bodies. Strengthening training frameworks, improving access to cessation resources, and integrating tobacco-dependence treatment into routine urological care may substantially enhance patient outcomes and align European practice with international cancer-prevention priorities.