Smoking cigars is harmful particularly if you are a heavy smoker (5 or more cigars a day) A recent study (NEJM 1999;340:1773) showed the health risks for cigar smokers (up to 5 a day versus 5 or more cigars a day) as follows:

oropharynx cancer:        1.34 X and 7.2 X

oral, larynx, esophagus cancer: 1.12X and 5.2X

lung cancer:         1.57 X an 3.24X

emphysema:        1.3X and 2.25X

So if you smoke 5 or more cigars a day, the risk of getting cancer in your mouth is 7.2 times as much as someone who does not smoke!