Study says smoking increases risk of death from prostate cancer

According to a study conducted in Sweden, smoking is responsible for increasing the risk of death. prostate cancer. Participants who reported recurrent smoking had a 20% higher risk than men who had never smoked.

The researchers now want to know the reason for the observed correlation, what the results of the finding are, and most importantly, whether quitting the addiction will increase the chances of curing patients from the disease.

In five population studies, self-reported information from more than 350,000 individuals over several decades was used by the investigators responsible for the study. With such a comprehensive study, it is possible to draw more precise correlations.

Data collected since 1974 included the type of tumor, its diagnosis, the reason for detection – by symptom or examination – and the treatment administered. During the period, approximately 25,000 participants developed tumors, of which 20% died from the disease.

surprising results

Surprisingly, the scientists observed that smokers overall had a lower risk of developing localized prostate cancer, the most commonly detected form of the disease.

But one possible reason is that smokers are less likely to seek a diagnosis when they are still asymptomatic, according to the researchers.

On the other hand, smoking led to a higher incidence of death among patients. The author of the study, Sylvia Jochems, adds that the increase in deaths occurs regardless of the stage of cancer.

“We need to understand more whether it is smoking or other risk factors such as sociodemographic factors driving this association. Another important question is whether quitting smoking after diagnosis can improve prognosis.”

ARTICLE European Urology: doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2022.03.033