Study finds quitting smoking reduces lung cancer risk by 50% ten years after quitting, by 75% twenty years after quitting

[Bill Godshall]

Study finds quitting smoking reduces lung cancer risk by 50% ten years after quitting, by 75% twenty years after quitting; risks for female exsmokers decline faster than for male smokers, probably because male smokers historically have consumed more cigarettes than female smokers
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273230013000871

See Figure 1 for details of lung cancer risk reduction over time after quitting smoking
http://origin-ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0273230013000871-gr1.jpg


In contrast, quitting smoking reduces risk of heart attack and cardiovascular disease to those of nonsmokers just one year after quitting.

 

[Kent C]

Some of that info has been around a while...

When smokers quit ? what are the benefits over time?

And the studies seem to differ as to their target audience.

If it's to prevent kids from smoking, they'll say that it affects your probability of getting lung cancer for decades!

If it's to promote smoking cessation, then I've seen studies that say after 20 years, the probability of lung cancer is the same as non-smokers.

 

[Petrodus]

Studies and Statistics ...

Carry on

 

[Bill Godshall]

This is by far the most comprehensive study ever done on lung cancer risks after quitting smoking, as it analyzed all of the other published studies.

Twenty five years ago (when I was Director of Education at the American Cancer Society and was teaching classes on cancer epidemiology at Penn State), the scientific evidence indicated that lung cancer risks declined by about 50% ten years after quitting, and declined about 90% twenty five years after quitting.

This study confirmed the 50% decline in lung cancer risk ten years after quitting for men, but found a 60% reduction for women.
And this study confirmed the 90% reduction in lung cancer risk 25 years after quitting for women, but found only an 80% decline for men.