Hi to All, In trying to expand my knowledge of oral cancer and it's causes, I was doing more research on the web. Now I know fully well, you cannot believe everything that is out there - there is a lot of hype and nonsense, as well as potions and "snakeoil" that will claim to heal this disease. But I came across something that I thought I would ask about. Along with the primary culprits of cigarettes, chewing tobacco and alcohol, there are some things to staw away from as far as food is concerned. The site mentioned "smoked" meats such as hot dogs, kielbasi, some luncheon meats and of course the ever-popular "smokies" or "slim jims" as they are sometimes called. Does anyone think there is any truth that if you consume (I imagine they are talking about large quantities) of these mentioned foods - it could cause or contribute to oral cancer? And if that's the case - what about having a barbeque - where one uses those pre-soaked charcoal briquettes? I think I have heard other reports that the fumes from a charcoal briquette barbecue CAN cause some types of cancer. Does anyone put any credence into this? I ask this because my husband LOVED to eat lunch meats and kielbasi, etc (It's the Slovenian in him!) and we used to love always having a summertime BBQ. And what about the "nitrates" in food - such as "sodium nitrate" which is in just about everything you buy nowadays, in the store. Anyways, I was just wondering about this. Thanks.

Hi Donnajean,

Yes you have listed several things that are implicated in overall (not necessarily oral)cancer rate increases. Smoked foods contain many similar compounds (tars)as tobbacco smoke. Grilled foods may also pick up some of the same. Nitrates and nitrites both change into nitrosamines which can be rather potent carcinogins. The amount of nitrate/nitrites in prepared meats is supposed to be relatively safe but I would avoid them if possible. I have read that vitimin C consumed together with nitrates/nitrites reduces or prevents the conversion to nitrosamines. (some manufacturers add vitimin C to the meat products during production) Peanuts and peanut products commonly contain chemicals produced by a fungus that is found in the shell of the peanut. These chemicals are also known to be carcinogenic. (many different fungi produce a host of terribly toxic chemicals)

Having said all this may spark heated debate, and I am prepared to defend myself. My disclaimer is as follows. I have spent too much time of my own trying to figure out what caused my cancer. The truth is I probably will never know. In my life I have consumed lunch meat, smoked foods, grilled foods, peanut butter, peanuts from in the shell, pickles, corned beef, (talk about nitrates!) Beer (I make my own), scotch, wine, (and more), several cigars, very little chewing tobbacco, sniffing snuff, and a whole pile of chemicals. I have handled metalic lead, mercury, cadmium, cut and handled lots of arsenic soaked lumber (yes the green stuff), I have sprayed my garden and lawn with things I cannot pronounce the name of, The fish I catch and eat are not safe, but in the end It may have been a whiff of smoke from a campfire or a twisted genetic issue that started my cancer.

I still wish I knew....

Hi Donnajean,
Chinese people are much aware of the correlation between diet and cancer.The team of doctors who treated me for my cancer do not give me any advice on what food I should stay away except for spicy and deep fried food which is definitely harmful to my throat.But the Chinese herbalists whom I occasionally went to suggested some food I should not take. This includes all smoked food like sausage, ham and bacon, BBQ,red meat and seafood like shrimp and crab.Preferably cancer patients should eat plenty of vegetables and fruits and anything that has been preserved is not recommended.It is difficult for me to keep this rule as I used to be a lover of meat and seafood . Anyway with such a severe illness, it is important to eat healthy, right?

Karen stage 4 tonsil cancer diagnosed in 9/01.

Marks list of things that have produced cancer in both humans and in laboratory animals is a short one; the real list would take up this whole page and then some. The question in all these debates, and I do not wish to get into one here, is volume of exposure and duration of exposure. Artificial sweeteners got hammered years ago because they caused cancer in lab animals, as did many other products. After all the hoopla, it was determined that you had to consume hundreds of packs of the stuff, everyday, for years on end, to get the same volume of exposure they gave the lab animals... Studies sometimes tend to find what they are looking for. So should you never eat a hot dog? Have a drink of diet cola (read that label sometime)? Or bar-b-que a burger on the grill and enjoy it? Hardly. But should you question the good sense in drinking 10 diet colas a day, everyday.... that is another issue. Even the money that we handle which contains nickel (silver is a thing of the past) is bad for you. Nickel is a known carcinogen... So should you not hand 5-cent pieces and quarters? So what is a reasonable and rational person to do when everything in our environment is potentially harmful to us? The Government now tells us that sawdust exposure over the years will cause cancer...wood for Christ's sake!!

You may not be able to choose to live outside the city and the pollutants in the air, you may not be able to limit your drinking of tap water that in many cities contains things like arsenic and pesticide residue, you may not be able to only eat organic foods free from the pesticides that our industrial farms spray on everything, you may not be able to not eat the meats that are produced in this country with enough hormones in them to throw your own hormonal balance out of whack. So what can you do? You try to live a life of moderation and compromise. You try to make the best decisions an informed person can. But you won't live any longer living in a pure bubble than you might outside of one. You body has the ability to defend itself against many of these things as long as the volume of exposure isn't huge. At the three ball games I get to go to a year, I

Well said, Brian. Applause, applause!

Thanks for all the reply's! I do agree that it is totally fruitless to think "what if" these foods and their additives could have been a cancer culprit. Speaking for Johnny, I know in addition to have been a 2-pack a day smoker for 30-some years, plus eating a lot of smoked foods - bacon, lunch meat, kielbasi..and drinking many cans of diet soda a day (always been his favorite drink of choice - ever since they came out with "Tab") certainly couldn't have helped. Plus he was over 300lbs. when first diagnosed...and we all know what they say about being overweight. But I suppose as you mentioned Brian, what it all comes down to is genetics. Good analogy using George Burns! He did LOVE those cigars....and look how long he lived! While I'm sure anyone will tell you diet is very crucial for overall health - and especially for people overcoming a major illness, I still can't help but wonder if having a BBQ this summer and inhlaing the smoke and eating the so-delicious food, if it could be doing something to rev up those cancer cells again, since a person who is recovering still has a weakened immune system. I bring this up, because even though Johnny is limited yet on what and how much he eats - he just had some kielbasi the other day and still drinks diet soda now again. He can tolerate ketchup and the fizz in the pop doesn't seem to bother him too much. Surprsingly...a sprinkle of black pepper on things are OK for him too - but not mustard! That still burns like a son-of-a-gun!