Cigars Cause Lung Cancer

A study in the 1990s suggested that cigarette smokers were better off switching to cigars or pipes. That is published by British Medical Journal. While subsequent studies have also shown a lower risk of lung cancer among cigar smokers versus cigarette smokers, the risk is still substantial. Cigar smokers are 5 times as likely to develop lung cancer as those who have never smoked. And lung cancer is not the only issue when it comes to cigars. Cigar smokers are 4 to 10 times as likely as non-smokers to develop cancers of the mouth, larynx, and esophagus, and appear to have an elevated risk of pancreatic cancer as well. Like cigarette smoking, cigar smoking contributes to heart disease.

Another factor to consider thoughtfully is secondhand smoke. Cigars produce a greater amount of second-hand smoke than cigarettes. While the risk of cancer to a cigar smoker is lower than that for a cigarette smoker, the risk for exposed non-smokers may be greater.