Can you get a mouth cancer from smoking just a few cigarette?

Probably note: Oral cancers that are due to smoking are the result of chronic irritation from daily exposure to the toxins in cigarettes or smokeless tobacco. This irritation is potentiated by the abuse of alcohol.

Probably not: Smoking just a few cigarettes in a lifetime should not increase head and neck cancer risk appreciably. Smoking a few cigarettes a day, however, certainly will.

No, but: No, but better not to start. See oral surgeon or ENT doc if you have any of these symptoms: Persistent mouth sore, persistent mouth pain, a lump or thickening in the cheek, a white/red patch on the gums, tongue, tonsil, or lining of the mouth, a sore throat, hoarseness or feeling that something is caught in the throat that does not go away, difficulty swallowing/chewing.