Although cure rates for prostate cancer patients who smoke are roughly the same as rates for nonsmokers, there is a significant difference in mortality due to an increase in other-cause deaths among smokers, according to an article in the March 15th issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics.

Recent studies have suggested that smoking may be associated with an increased risk of death from prostate cancer. The current study, which followed 582 patients who had received brachytherapy either with or without supplemental external beam radiotherapy at a single cancer center, evaluated the effect of smoking on presentation and biochemical outcomes for prostate cancer after permanent prostate brachytherapy was performed. Of the 582 patients, 178 had never smoked, 306 were former smokers, and 98 were current smokers (median age, 67 years; median follow-up, 54 months).

During the study, 322 patients received supplemental external beam radiation therapy before brachytherapy and 234 received hormonal manipulation. The end point of the analysis was biochemical progression-free survival as defined by the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology consensus definition.

The results of the study showed that while the three groups studied had roughly equivalent cure rates, current smokers were statistically younger. In addition, although tobacco did not influence the overall prostate cancer death rate, current and former smokers were more likely to die of other causes than those who had never smoked.

"A trend was noted for poorer outcomes in current smokers versus those who had never smoked or former smokers," said Gregory S. Merrick, MD, the lead author of the study. "Because this trend for increased biochemical failure was related to tobacco consumption, it is possible that with longer follow-up of more patients, tobacco consumption would result in an increased incidence of prostate cancer related deaths."