Bladder Cancer Prognosis Unaffected by Smoking Status

Smoking status and the time of smoking cessation prior to diagnosis of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) does not alter the risks of disease recurrence or progression, according to a new study.

Researchers led by Lambertus A. Kiemeney, PhD, of Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and colleagues studied 963 NMIBC patients. The group included 181 never smokers (18.8%), 490 former smokers (50.9%), and 292 current smokers (30.3%) at the time of diagnosis.

The study found no significant difference in the risk of recurrence or progression among the 3 groups, the researchers reported online ahead of print in Urologic Oncology. The study also found no dose-response association across categories of smoking quantity, duration, or cumulative exposure in relation to NMIBC prognosis.

In addition, the timing of smoking duration (ceased smoking 10 or more years before diagnosis vs. less than 10 years before diagnosis vs. currently smoking at diagnosis) did not significantly affect the risk of recurrence of progression.

“Patients' smoking history is not useful for the guidance of clinical management decisions,” the authors concluded. “Patients should nevertheless be advised to quit considering the known beneficial effects on other non-NMIBC-related end points such as cardiovascular disease and second primary cancers.”

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