Association of Smoking Cessation and Cardiovascular, Cancer, and Respiratory Mortality

There were an estimated 28 million current cigarette smokers in the US, and approximately twice as many former smokers, in 2021.1 Smoking cessation is associated with large reductions in excess mortality compared with continued smoking,2 but the timescale over which cause-specific mortality benefits of cessation may develop is unclear.3-6 Quantifying excess cause-specific mortality among former smokers by years since quitting may inform clinical decision-making and screening programs.