Smoking may weaken the body's immune response to melanoma, according to a study published in the journal Cancer Research. The scientists found that long-term smokers had a 40 percent lower survival rate than non-smokers with melanoma. Among 156 patients with the most genetic markers of immune cells, smokers were about 4.5 times less likely to survive cancer than never-smokers.
The researchers found the drop in survival was most pronounced among smokers in the group with the highest number of immune-cell markers, suggesting that smoking may have a direct effect on the rapid proliferation of cancer cells.
Scientists believe that smoking may have an effect on the body's immune system, altering its ability to fight skin cancer. Smokers can still boost the immune response to try to destroy melanoma, but it seems to be less effective than nonsmokers, and smokers are less likely to survive cancer. Therefore, people diagnosed with melanoma should be strongly advised to quit smoking.
Dr Julie sharp, director of health information at cancer research UK, said: "taken together, these results suggest that smoking may reduce the survival rate of melanoma patients, so it is particularly important for their health to stop smoking."