The claim
‘Deze mensen hebben al zoveel schade opgelopen dat stoppen eigenlijk te laat komt om longkanker te voorkomen. Wel is dat belangrijk om nog meer schade te voorkomen.’
Original review summary
The review says quitting does not immediately erase the elevated lung-cancer risk after years of heavy smoking, but the risk does decline over time. It concludes that quitting is worthwhile and can reduce lung-cancer risk, as well as risks of other diseases.[S1]
Additional context
For people who had smoked at least a pack a day for 30 years, the review reports that the risk compared with never-smokers remained elevated even after 30 years without smoking. [S1]
Research date:
Sources and attribution
- [S1] Gezondheid en wetenschap original review
Original review · Retrieved October 17, 2026