message, especially to young people who might think one form of smoking is less dangerous than another.
“Combustible tobacco used in any form is a cancer risk, and pipe and cigar smokers cannot be given a pass,” says Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonary specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
Patricia Folan directs the Center for Tobacco Control at Northwell Health in Great Neck, N.Y.
She notes that “a full-size cigar can contain chemicals the equivalent of one pack of cigarettes, and individuals who switch from cigarettes to cigars frequently unintentionally inhale cigars the way they inhaled cigarettes – exposing them to large amounts of the hazardous substances in cigar smoke.”
There was some good news from the FDA study, however: The risk of death from any cause or tobacco-linked cancers fell once smokers quit.
So, Folan says, “I would not say that cigars are better than cigarettes – but quitting is.” She urges smokers “to ask for help from your health care provider” on kicking the habit.
For more information on lung cancer, visit our health conditions tab on BlackDoctor.org.