Data presented at the 112th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA) shows that even a small decrease in the amount of traditional cigarette smoking a bladder cancer patient makes may help them live longer.

The researchers note that there is limited information regarding the association between the amount of traditional cigarettes a bladder cancer patient smokes per day and their mortality risk.

In their study titled Smoking Intensity as a Predictor of Survival in Bladder Cancer Patients: Results From a Population-Based Florida Cancer Registry (1981-2009), researchers compared survival rates between more than 14,000 smoking adults with bladder cancer living in Florida, USA between 1981 and 2009. Median and five-year overall survival rates were compared between patients who smoked less than one pack of cigarettes a day, to those who smoke 1-2 packs per day and patients who smoked more than two packs per day.

Results showed:

• Smoking more packs per day was associated with an increased risk of mortality among patients with bladder cancer.
• Patients smoking a minimum of 1-2 packs per day were significantly more likely to have a higher risk of mortality compared to patients that smoke less than one pack per day.
• Even a small reduction in the amount of smoking a patient makes may potentially allow them to survive longer with bladder cancer.

"This research underscores the importance of smoking cessation for people with bladder cancer, and people looking to avoid it." said Sam S. Chang, MD, MBA, professor of urologic surgery at Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center.

The lead author was Luis Felipe Savio, from the University of Miami.