Cancer survivors who are smokers often continue to smoke after cancer treatment, especially those who survive bladder and lung cancer, according to new research.

The fact that many smokers continue the habit is an issue the medical profession needs to address given that smoking can ignite an additional cancer diagnosis, say the researchers.

The study, "Prevalence and Correlates of Smoking and Cessation-Related Behavior among Survivors of Ten Cancers: Findings from a Nationwide Survey Nine Years after Diagnosis," was led by J. Lee Westmaas, at the Behavioral Research Center in Atlanta, Ga. It was published this month in the Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

"We need to follow up with cancer survivors long after their diagnoses to see whether they are still smoking and offer appropriate counseling, interventions, and possible medications to help them quit," said Westmaas, Ph.D., and director of tobacco research at the American Cancer Society.

The research reveals that nine years after a diagnosis of cancer, 9.3 percent of all survivors who were smokers continued to smoke. Smoking was highest among those who beat bladder cancer, 17.2 percent, and lung cancer, 14.9 percent. Of the cancer survivor population, 83 percent were daily smokers, smoking an average of 14.7 cigarettes daily.

"Information is lacking on smoking patterns of survivors many years after diagnosis and correlates of smoking status and patterns, likelihood of quitting, and intentions to quit," states the study's abstract.

The study states that 40 percent of daily smokers smoked more than 15 cigarettes a day, while nondaily smokers smoked a mean of 10.9 days and averaged 5.7 cigarettes on smoking days.

The research reveals that about a third of smokers intended to quit, with 40 percent aiming to do it within the following month of diagnosis. The odds regarding quitting were lower, however, if the patient was married, older or a heavier smoker.

"Smoking can cause new mutations among cancer survivors that can lead to secondary and additional primary cancers. It can also affect physical function and interfere with the efficacy of therapies," stated Roy Herbst, M.D., Ph.D., chief of medical oncology at Yale University and chair of the AACR Tobacco and Cancer Subcommittee.

Herbst, who was not involved with the study, added, "We need to take note of this and target this population for intervention."