Tobacco use is a known as a major risk factor for oral and other cancers. All tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, and snuff, contain toxins (poisonous substances), carcinogens (cancer-causing agents), and nicotine (an addictive substance). Each tobacco product is linked to an increased risk for specific cancers:

Cigars became a trend in the 1990s, attracting the young and the old. Although perceived as less detrimental to one's health, cigars actually pose the same risk as cigarettes for oral cancer. Although many cigar smokers do not inhale, the risk for oral, throat, and esophageal cancers is the same as for cigarette smokers. Consider these facts:

• Compared with nonsmokers, cigar smokers are four to 10 times more likely to develop oral cancer, esophageal cancer, and laryngeal cancer.
  
  
• Cigar smokers may spend an hour or more smoking one large cigar - which can contain the same amount of nicotine as a full pack of cigarettes. Furthermore, even unlit cigars, when held in the mouth for an extended period of time, promote nicotine absorption.
  
  
• Secondhand smoke from cigars contain toxins and cancer-causing agents (carcinogens) similar to secondhand cigarette smoke, but in higher concentrations.

The American Academy of Otolaryngology and the American Lung Association offer the following tips to persons who use tobacco products and are trying to quit:

• Think about why you want to quit.
  
  
• Pick a stress-free time to quit.
  
  
• Ask for support and encouragement from family, friends, and colleagues.
  
  
• Start doing some exercise or activity each day to relieve stress and improve your health.
  
  
• Get plenty of rest and eat a well-balanced diet.
  
  
• Join a stop-smoking program, or other support group.