Former Smokers and Cancer Risk

Smoking any amount can cause damage that can lead to health problems. Quitting smoking is a great achievement. By quitting, you lower your risk of smoking-related illnesses. Quitting smoking has health benefits that start right away and can continue over many years. This is true even for people who already have a smoking-related disease.

Once you stop smoking, your risk of getting lung and other cancers, as well as other smoking-related illnesses, decreases. Your risk keeps getting lower as more tobacco-free time passes. 

What is my risk of getting lung cancer?

The risk of getting lung cancer is a lot higher for people who smoke than for those who do not smoke. About 85 out of 100 lung cancer deaths are linked to smoking cigarettes. The risk is also high for other types of tobacco products.

Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center made an online tool that can be used to look at your lung cancer risk as a current or former smoker. It is used for people between 50 and 80 years old who have smoked for at least 20 years, or if they have quit within the past 15 years. This tool only looks at lung cancer risk, and not the risk of other types of cancer or other health conditions that smoking and tobacco can cause.

Talk with your provider about your risk. Your risk is based on the amount smoked, over what time span, and can include other parts of your health history that can increase your risk (asbestos exposure, COPD).

Risk of Other Types of Cancer

When you quit tobacco, you cannot get rid of the damage that was done, but your risk of other cancers decreases as time passes without tobacco. You should always be honest with providers about your smoking history and learn about the risks of this history.

Call your provider if you have any of the following:

• A change in a cough (for example, if you cough up more phlegm or mucus than usual).
• A new cough.
• Coughing up blood.
• A scratchy or hoarse voice.
• Trouble breathing.
• Wheezing.
• Chest pain.
• Loss of appetite (not feeling hungry).
• Weight loss.
• Feeling tired all the time (fatigue).
• Frequent lung or respiratory infections (like pneumonia or bronchitis).
• Sores or white patches in your mouth.

As a former smoker, there is a risk of cancer. Talk to your provider about your risk and what screening tests are right for you.