Which statement about smoking cessation in cancer prevention is true?

• A. It is a secondary prevention
• B. It is a primary prevention
• C. It reduces only cardiovascular risk, not cancer
• D. It is not effective

Answer: (B)

Quitting smoking is primary prevention because it stops a disease-causing exposure before cancer can develop. Primary prevention aims to prevent disease by removing risk factors rather than detecting it early. Since tobacco use is a major cause of many cancers, stopping smoking lowers cancer risk as well as cardiovascular risk, and this reduction grows over time. The idea that it reduces only cardiovascular risk is incorrect, and it’s not accurate to say it isn’t effective—cessation clearly lowers cancer risk with time.