This is the 11th IARC Handbook of Cancer Prevention, and the first in a series focusing on tobacco control. It reviews the scientific literature and evaluates the evidence on changes in the risk of cancer, coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm, peripheral artery disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease observed following smoking cessation. It considers whether the risk of dying from or of developing these diseases decreases after smoking cessation, the time course of the change in risk and whether the risk returns to that of never-smokers? The review and evaluation presented in the Handbook goes on to identify relevant public health and research recommendations.