4 July 2011
Link established between prostate cancer death and smoking
by George Atkinson 
Men suffering from prostate cancer who smoke increase their risk of prostate cancer recurrence and of dying from the disease, say researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health. Reporting their findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the researchers say a link was also found between smoking and aggressive prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease mortality. Taking in more than 5,000 men, the study is the largest to date that looks at the relation between smoking at the time of prostate cancer diagnosis and prostate cancer-specific mortality and recurrence. "In our study, we found similar results for both prostate cancer recurrence and prostate cancer mortality," said study author Stacey Kenfield. "These data taken together provide further support that smoking may increase risk of prostate cancer progression." The study notes that men with prostate cancer who were current smokers had a 61 percent increased risk of dying from prostate cancer, and a 61 percent higher risk of recurrence compared with men who never smoked.
Compared with current smokers, men with prostate cancer who had quit smoking for 10 or more years, or who had quit for less than 10 years but smoked less than 20 pack-years before diagnosis, had prostate cancer mortality risk similar to men who had never smoked. "These data are exciting because there are few known ways for a man to reduce his risk of dying from prostate cancer," said co-researcher Edward Giovannucci. "For smokers, quitting can impact their risk of dying from prostate cancer. This is another reason to not smoke." Related:
Weight A Big Factor In Prostate Cancer Survival
Heavy Smoking Doubles Risk Of Aggressive Prostate Cancer
Source: Harvard School of Public Health
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