Smokers who were diagnosed with prostate cancer were found to be more at risk of cancer death and recurrence, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. But for men who have quit for at least 10 years, their mortality risk was similar to people who never smoked.

The authors of the study stated that there haven't previously been many studies of smoking in relation to prostate cancer mortality or recurrence. The study observed 5,366 men diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1986 and 2006.

There were 1,630 deaths. Of them, 32% were due to prostate cancer and 26% to cardiovascular disease. Meanwhile, about 878 people had prostate cancer recurrences.

We compared current smokers to never smokers. Compared to never smokers, current smokers had a 61 per cent increased risk of dying of prostate cancer, as well as a 61 per cent increased risk of having their cancer return, Stacey Kenfield of the Harvard School of Public Health told Reuters.

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