According to a large population study led by Lund University in Sweden, smokers have a lower chance of getting prostate cancer, but a higher risk of dying from the disease Researchers have tracked more than 350000 patients over decades, and the relevant research results were recently published in European Urology.
Although it is generally believed that smokers have an increased risk of various cancers, there are relatively few studies that specifically analyze prostate cancer and include its clinical information.
This extensive study may now contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the link between smoking and the risk of disease and death from prostate cancer. The researchers used self-reported data on male smoking habits from five Swedish population studies. Since 1974, about 350000 men have been included in the study. They then tracked them for many years using several national registries. The Swedish National Prostate Cancer Registry provides data on the type of tumor at the time of diagnosis, the cause of discovery (through symptomatic or asymptomatic PSA tests) and treatment. During the study period, 24731 people developed prostate cancer and 4322 died of the disease.
The researchers found that smokers' overall risk of prostate cancer decreased during the period when PSA testing was part of the routine health examination of medical institutions. This is true only for localized prostate cancer, which is the most commonly detected form of asymptomatic PSA.
"One possible explanation for smokers' lower risk of prostate cancer is that they may be less likely to have an asymptomatic PSA test. On the other hand, smokers have a higher risk of dying from prostate cancer regardless of the tumor stage at the time of diagnosis, which we observed, so this means all forms of prostate cancer from low risk to metastatic," said Dr. Sylvia jochems, the study's first author.
The risk of smokers is about 20% higher than that of men who have never smoked. If smokers are both overweight (BMI 25-30) or obese (BMI over 30), the risk will be further increased. The researchers point out that it is now important to determine the reasons for the poor prognosis of smokers once they develop prostate cancer.
"We need to know more about whether smoking or other risk factors such as sociodemographic factors contribute to this association. Another important question is whether stopping smoking after the diagnosis of prostate cancer can improve the prognosis," concluded Tanja stocks, an associate professor at Lund University and the last author of the study.