Despite the detrimental effects of tobacco on pulmonary health, smoking cessation can lead to a significant reduction in the cumulative risk of death from lung cancer. This graph demonstrates the risk of lung cancer mortality incurred by men at age 75; the risk estimates are 15.9% for those who do not quit smoking cigarettes and 9.9%, 6.0%, 3.0%, and 1.7% for men who stopped at ages 60, 50, 40, and 30, respectively (Peto et al., 2000). Similar trends are seen for women. These aggregate data suggest that quitting, at any age, reduces the risk of death from lung cancer.

Peto R, Darby S, Deo H, Silcocks P, Whitley E, Doll R. (2000). Smoking, smoking cessation, and lung cancer in the UK since 1950: Combination of national statistics with two case-control studies. BMJ 321(7257):323–329.

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