Cancer Risk Halved
Risk of lung cancer falls to about half that of a smoker. Other cancer risks also decrease.
What happens to your body 10 years after quitting smoking
A decade smoke-free, your risk of dying from lung cancer has dropped to roughly half that of a continuing smoker. The precancerous cells in your lungs have been gradually replaced by healthy, normal cells. The risk of other cancers also decreases substantially — including cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas. Your body has spent 10 years repairing the DNA damage caused by the thousands of carcinogenic chemicals in cigarette smoke.
Frequently asked questions
Why does cancer risk take so long to decrease?
Smoking causes DNA mutations in your cells that can persist for years. Over time, your body replaces damaged cells with healthy ones, but this process is slow. The 70+ carcinogens in cigarette smoke cause widespread damage that takes years to fully repair.
Which cancers are linked to smoking?
Smoking is linked to at least 15 types of cancer: lung, mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, liver, pancreas, kidney, bladder, cervix, and acute myeloid leukemia, among others. Quitting reduces the risk of all of them.