Prostate brachytherapy: the impact of smoking on recurrence and overall survival of localized prostate cancer

Abstract

Brachytherapy has been shown to be an efficacious and cost-effective treatment among patients with localized prostate cancer. In this study, we examined the effects of smoking on prostate cancer recurrence and mortality in patients undergoing brachytherapy for locally advanced prostate cancer. The study population consisted of 405 patients with an average age of 73.4 years. Smoking history included 88 (21.7%) patients with no history of smoking, 108(26.6%) patients with one to twenty pack-years, and 209 (51.7%) patients with twenty-one or more pack-years. The impact of smoking history on OS relative to nonsmokers was hazards ratio 1.39 (CI: 0.81-2.64; P<0.05). In conclusion, the era of brachytherapy dose and treatment intensification strategies to improve upon prostate cancer outcomes, our study showed that smoking increases the risk of cancer recurrence and mortality. Patients who have smoked a higher number of pack-years are at increased risk of recurrence and mortality compared to those who smoked less.