Since I gave up smoking cigarettes I now have the occasional cigar. How do the two compare in terms of dangers to health?
James Tomlinson, Leeds

Rob Hicks, general practitioner replies:
Cigar smokers who have never smoked cigarettes have a lower risk of lung cancer but at least the same, if not greater, risk of lip, mouth, throat, and gullet (oesophagus) cancers compared to cigarette smokers.

This is because cigar smokers tend to not to inhale, so the smoke stays in the mouth for longer. Ex-cigarette smokers who take up cigars usually inhale and for those who do the risk of lung cancer, heart disease, and chronic lung disease (eg emphysema, bronchitis) is about the same as it is for cigarette smokers. In the health stakes cigars are certainly no better for you. You've given up cigarettes, so why smoke cigars?