Cigarette smoking is the most common risk factor for the development of bladder cancer (BC), yet there is a paucity of data characterizing the relationship between smoking status and longitudinal Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) outcomes in patients with BC. We examined the association between smoking status and HRQoL among patients with BC.
Data was sourced from a prospective, longitudinal study open between 2014 and 2017, which examined HRQoL in patients aged ≥ 18 years diagnosed with BC across North Carolina. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire core instrument (QLQ-C30) was administered at 3, 12, and 24 months after BC diagnosis. Our primary exposure of interest was current smoking status. Linear regression using Generalized Estimating Equations was used to analyze the relationship between smoking status and various domains of the QLQ-C30.
A total of 154 patients enrolled in the study. Eighteen percent were classified as smoking at 3 months from diagnosis, packs per day (PPD) ranged from < 0.5 to 2. When controlling for time from diagnosis, demographic covariates, cancer stage, and treatment type, mean differences (MD) for physical function (7.4), emotional function (5.6), and fatigue measures (-8.2) were significantly better for patients with BC who did not smoke.
Patients with BC who do not smoke have significantly better HRQoL scores in the domains of physical function, emotional function, and fatigue. These results underscore the need to treat smoking as an essential component of BC care.
The Journal of urology. 2024 Apr 11 [Epub ahead of print]
Hannah Kay, Sarah N Silver, Angela B Smith, Ramsankar Basak, Kimberly Shoenbill, Deborah Usinger, Adam O Goldstein, Richard S Matulewicz, Ronald Chen, Marc A Bjurlin
Department of Urology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina., Department of Radiation Oncology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina., Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina., Department of Surgery, Urology Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York., Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas.