It’s not too late. You can quit tobacco even now and reduce cancer risk: Tata Memorial Centre research

Quitting tobacco can cut the risk of oral cancer by more than 60 per cent, according to new research by the Centre for Cancer Epidemiology at the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) , reinforcing public health experts’ message that it is never too late to quit .

The findings are based on a multi-centre case-control study conducted across five TMC cancer centres between 2010 and 2022 and published online in an international peer-reviewed journal in early February 2026 . The study showed that smokers who quit for 10 years saw a 61 per cent reduction in oral cavity cancer risk , while tobacco chewers experienced a 42 per cent reduction , compared with current users. However, researchers cautioned that the risk does not fall to the level of people who have never used tobacco.

While the research focused on oral cancer, broader epidemiological evidence indicates that around 15–25 per cent of long-term tobacco users worldwide may develop cancer during their lifetime, depending on duration and intensity of use. In India, where both smoking and smokeless tobacco are prevalent, estimates suggest that roughly one in five habitual users could develop a tobacco-related cancer. By comparison, the lifetime cancer risk among never-users remains much lower, typically in the 3–5 per cent range for tobacco-linked cancers.

Smoking also significantly reduces lifespan. Long-term studies show that people who never used tobacco often live into their early 80s on average. Tobacco users who do not develop cancer still lose about 8–10 years of life expectancy due to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Those who develop tobacco-related cancers , particularly lung and oral cancers, face markedly poorer survival, with life expectancy reduced further depending on the stage at diagnosis and access to treatment.

India continues to face a major public health burden, with over 28–30 per cent of adults consuming tobacco in some form. TMC researchers stressed that cessation has tangible benefits even after years of use, underlining that quitting tobacco reduces cancer risk substantially, even if started late .

The study’s authors said the findings strengthen the case for aggressive tobacco cessation programmes, adding that while it is best never to start, stopping at any stage can still save lives .