Cigarette smoking patterns in patients after treatment of bladder cancer

Background. Assessment of smoking status and identification of those most l ikely to continue smoking are important in the management of patients who h ave bladder cancer, because continued smoking following diagnosis and treat ment increases the likelihood of treatment-related complications, recurrenc e, second primary malignancies, and morbidity and mortality. Methods. Patie nts (n = 224) receiving follow-up care of previously treated bladder cancer s completed a brief written survey assessing their post-diagnosis smoking p atterns. Results. Despite the risks of continued smoking, 69% of the patien ts who had been active smokers at the time of diagnosis (n = 84) reported s moking at some point following the diagnosis and 45% reported smoking at th e time of assessment. Patients diagnosed at earlier stages were more likely to continue smoking. Patients diagnosed at later stages were 2.80 times mo re likely til be continuous abstainers than those diagnosed sooner (95% CI, 1.08-7.25). Conclusions. The findings underscore the need to assess smokin g status and provide smoking-cessation advice and counseling within routine comprehensive care of bladder cancer patients.