Female, 31 yrs old. i smoked a pack of cigarettes a day for 1 year. i have quit and plan on never smoking again. can my risk for lung cancer eventually become that of a non-smoker? if so, how long will it take?

You were a smoker for a brief period of time, and likely that your lungs have started to stabilize. Even chronic prior heavy smokers, can return to the level of a non-smoker within a few years after cessation.

In about 10 years, you should recover from the damage caused by smoking, as long as you refrain use of tobacco in any form. You can reduce your risk of cancer by adopting healthy habits: Eat a mostly vegetarian diet, avoid alcohol, tobacco and street drugs, avoid excessive exposure to sun, get HPV vaccine, exercise 30 minutes each day, drink enough water so your urine is mostly colorless.

You did the best thing by stop smoking to lead a healthy life .Your lungs will start to open up and breathing will be easer .What you could do is have a chest x-ray taken for peace of mind and stay away from smokers and second hand smoke. Not to scare you but one can develop lung cancer as a non smoker but your chances are much better from developing lung cancer since you stopped smoking.