There are many ways that quitting smoking improves your health. It's never too late to quit, even if you're sick.

• If you've been treated for small-cell lung cancer, you'll lower your chance of getting another type of cancer if you stop smoking.¹
• If you've been diagnosed with another type of cancer, such as head or neck cancer, throat cancer, bladder cancer or cancer of the pancreas, your chances of getting a second cancer will go down when you stop smoking.²
• If you have heart disease, you'll reduce your chances of heart problems such as a heart attack or a stroke if you stop smoking.²
• If you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), your breathing tubes have been damaged and it's hard for you to breathe. Stopping smoking will slow down the damage COPD causes to your lungs. If you have mild COPD and you stop smoking, your lungs will be able to work better.^{2 3}
• If you have a smokers' cough and cough up phlegm, your symptoms should improve when you stop smoking.^{4 5}
• If you have a stomach ulcer, it's more likely to heal if you stop smoking. And you're less likely to get another ulcer if you quit.^{2 5}
• If you're a woman, by giving up cigarettes you can reduce the chances that you'll get an early menopause.²
• If you're a woman, you'll slow down the loss of bone when you quit smoking. Bone loss speeds up when you smoke. If your bones are already weakened, losing more bone tissue can increase the chances that you'll fracture a hip or other bone. Men who quit smoking may also lose less bone, but we know less about this than we do about bone loss in women.^{6 7 8 9}
• If you're in the hospital, you'll get better faster when you stop smoking.

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.