The study acknowledges that cigar smokers usually do not inhale as much or as deeply as cigarette smokers. Consequently lung cancer is not nearly as common among cigar smokers. However, cigar smokers are still two to five times more likely to develop lung cancer than non-smokers. The most serious health impact of cigar smoking is oral cancer. The risk for oral cancer among cigar smokers is four to six times more likely than non-smokers, even for use as low as one cigar per day.
Oral cancer kills one in three who develop the disease but survivors can be severely disfigured.
Surgery from oral cancer often requires removal of teeth, portions of the jaw, other bones of the face and the tissues of the lips and cheeks. Dr. Sigmund Freud, the father of psychotherapy, died of oral cancer caused by his long cigar-smoking habit. In the 17 years preceding his death, Dr. Freud had 31 surgeries for oral cancer, not including tooth extractions, and had to wear a prosthetic plate in the roof of his mouth which caused continuous discomfort and interfered with his speech. While studies tend to agree that low to moderate cigar smoking poses only a slight cancer risk, some persons will not be able to keep the habit at a safe level. That is because cigars, like cigarettes, contain nicotine .