diff --git a/includes/bootstrap.inc b/includes/bootstrap.inc
index 5d6c5232bfd8aea435dfcee14fa025b685f46521..58d395dea9b0504115e84a0bbd91a05f5a392741 100644
--- a/includes/bootstrap.inc
+++ b/includes/bootstrap.inc
@@ -650,7 +650,7 @@ function drupal_page_cache_header($cache) {
     header($_SERVER['SERVER_PROTOCOL'] . ' 304 Not Modified');
     // All 304 responses must send an etag if the 200 response for the same object contained an etag
     header("Etag: $etag");
-    exit();
+    return;
   }
 
   // Send appropriate response: