Aim was to compare the quality of life (QoL) at the smokers with COPD who quit smoking and have completed a pulmonary rehabilitation program with those who received usual treatment. METHODS 437 smokers with COPD stages II and III were counseled and treated to smoking cessation and completed COPD Assessment Test (CAT) at the beginning and at the end of 12 weeks of treatment. 113 patients were enrolled in a 12 weeks supervised pulmonary rehabilitation program (PR group) and 324 smokers received usual treatment for COPD and were monitored for 12 weeks (non-PR group). The initial HbCO > 2%, and every patient completed an initial CAT. RESULTS Initially, CAT scores varied between 26 and 38. At the end of the period, CAT scores in the PR group were between 7 and 16 and in the non-PR group CAT scores were between 20 and 26, and additionally the smoking cessation failure at an important number of non-PR members (45.98%) (in PR group, 16.81%). There were reported as well higher rates of long-term abstinence in the adherent patients to PR than the other group. CONCLUSIONS COPD smokers who completed the PR presented important QoL improvements, better CAT score than COPD smokers usually treated. A better PR adherence seems to be related with higher rates of sustained long term abstinence.