(HealthDay News) — Black women who are smokers at the time of breast cancer diagnosis have an increased risk of all-cause mortality, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.
Researchers examined the association of prediagnostic cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption with all-cause mortality and breast cancer-specific mortality. The analysis included 1926 Black breast cancer survivors identified from the New Jersey State Cancer Registry.
During a median follow-up of 6.7 years, current smokers at the time of breast cancer diagnosis had a significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.52; 95% CI, 1.15-2.02), which was most pronounced for those with 10 or more pack-years of smoking (HR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.34-2.53), compared with never smokers.
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There was no significant difference between current smokers and never smokers when it came to breast cancer-specific mortality (HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 0.87-1.85). Similarly, there was no significant association between alcohol consumption (3 or more drinks per week) and all-cause mortality (HR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.73-1.51) or breast cancer-specific mortality (HR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.67-1.67).
“Our findings add to the evidence of the detrimental health effects of smoking and underscore the need of tailored and targeted survivorship care for breast cancer survivors, particularly women with heavier levels of smoking,” the study authors wrote.
One author disclosed financial ties to Pfizer.
