Hi Everyone.
I have a question.
Do a majority of the people in this forum belief 100% that their cancer was a cause from smoking and/or drinking, because the oncologist or surgeon said that? Or were there other factors involved along with the smoking and drinking?

The anecdotal evidence is that 75% of head and neck cancers are directly caused by alcohol and/or tobacco use. New studies are demonstrating that HPV and Epstein Barr virus may also play a role.
For more information:
http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/facts/alcohol_tobacco.htm

http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/facts/humanpapillomavirus.htm

Also look under Oral Cancer facts: Risk Factors

I don't know whether or not tobacco played a role in my cancer although alcohol use certainly may have as well as the pot I smoked over the years. I was exposed to a lot of second hand smoke playing in nightclubs until they outlawed it in California. Tobacco use is linked to almost every kind of cancer so who really knows. One thing I do know is that it won't make your health any better.

Neither my head & neck surgeon or either oncologist had any explanations. I think most tend to avoid that to eliminate guilt from the equation. After you are Dx'd what are going to do then anyway? - why waste time kicking yourself? Save it for the fight of your life. Recurrence is an especially bad deal so stopping smoking immediately will have many benefits.

I agree with what Gary has said. I will add that unless it was from secondhand smoke, my daughter's cancer was definitely not from smoking and drinking. She did neither except for an occasional wine cooler or mixed drink, and by occasional, I mean a few times a year. She was in the minority, though.

Just for the record, since my husband smokes a pipe, my other daughter smokes cigs, my son and son-in-law use smokeless tobacco and all except my husband drink too much, I fully expect to have to deal with oral cancer again sometime in the future. I truly believe that tobacco and alcohol use are the 2 worst threats to good health in the world.

Rosie

75% of all oral cancers are directly related to lifestyle issues such as smoking and drinking. Viral causes are rapidly increasing, and a population of non-smoking OC cancer patients is growing in numbers. Anyone who hears their doctor tell them that they got this because of smoking and drinking, and had the personal history to accompany that comment, need not believe that specific doctor. But they should believe that what he has said has been supported by literally tens of thousands of articles published by treating doctors, researchers, etc. that have done the math. Tobacco causes thousands and thousands of deaths a year. Gary has posted it in detail in another post this week. Tobacco, at least initially, is a choice...until the addiction kicks in. While some individuals do not get cancer from tobacco use, even after years of using

As a side note, and for your information, my surgeon is doing a study at Sylvester Cancer Center of all of the oral cancer patients seen in the last two years. Of the 1640 cases, 241 were just like mine, ie: Primary in tonsil and met to lymph nodes. He is corrolating many different aspects of the cancers, but one of his early theories is that using mouth wash with alcohol may contribute to cancer in those patients who do not drink or smoke. I smoked and drank for 38 and 34 years, respectively, so I know what caused my cancer, but for those who didn't smoke or drink, watch that mouthwash.

The mouthwash issue has been talked about for about 15 years to my personal knowledge, and probably longer than that in reality. There used to be (a decade ago) some mouthwashes that had extremely high alcohol content. While it was never proven that they actually hurt anyone or caused any cancers, they were removed from the market.... primarily because too many kids and down on their luck people were DRINKING the stuff since it was easy to get and cheaper than the real McCoy from the liquor store. Published documentation of a direct cause and effect from this tale of mouthwashes, which never seems to die in spite of the facts, does not conclusively exist. It is still beat to death on web sites all over the place. But if it were causing cancers, it would be off the market in a heartbeat. The FDA and the private lawsuits would quickly see to that. Listerene

Kirk,

I'm wondering whether your surgeon is considering the age of the patients and whether they have tonsils in his study. 45 years ago they routinely removed tonsils and adenoids so we obviously are not going to have tonsilar cancer. The reason I bring this up and it may be completely coincidental, is when I was diagnosed 7 years ago, I use to log onto the oral cancer forum on Compuserve. The most prevalent cancer in the H & N area seemed to be cancer of the thyroid and I don't remember very many of the tonsil. In the two years I have been on this forum, I don't remember any thyroid cancer. I think that now we are into an age group where most people did not have their tonsils out, the doctors will be seeing more cancers in that area.

Brian,
I think I remember Listerine as being the only mouthwash that did not have any alcohol.

Take care,
Eileen

I would like to comment that studies are now coming out that the use of multi-vitamins and/or the use of anti-oxidants ( vitamin C, E ) could have a role in some cancers for people that smoke. Beta-carotene has been proven to be a factor in causing lung cancer in smokers. Smokers taking this regimen should really take a look at the studies that have been done. I had a mild heart attack in "95" and started taking such a regimen because at the time the litature from the medical professions was positive that this was a good step to warding off a reoccurance. I could not give up the ciggarettes, and I choose to continue smoking at a decreased amount. Around 2000 is when a small white patch showed up on my tongue. It wasnt until 2003 that it turned into an ulcer that wasnt going away. As a part time smoker taking vitamin C, I believe this was the cause for my ateries to harden at a great rate and causing me to have a 5 by-pass two months before the cancer operation.If other members were on such a regimen as mine I would like to hear your story. Also I would like to add that this vitamin regimen may increase the risk of dying from cancer in male smokers. Male smokers who used multi-vitamins alone or in combination with other vitamins had a higher risk of dying from cancer than nonsmoking males who took vitamins.

Well that is very interesting. They told me not to take any vitamins once I was dx with cancer, but a month after radiation, they put me on a multivitamin, 500 mg Vit C 2x, 400 IU vit E 2x and Zinc Sulfate 220 to help the healing process. I have been taking those +B 50 fort he last 7 years. Now they are are saying that this causes cancer??

Eileen

I don't know all of the details of my doctor's study, but I am sure when he is done with it, it will be released and researched to the max. Generally, doctor's in the field don't release studies without a painstaking effort to insure the accuracy of the data and results. Don't know when he will release, but will keep you all informed as he mentions it to me. As to vitamins, I used multi, C, E, and aspirin treatments for the last 25 years. Don't think vitamins are a contributor to cancer anymore than steaks and seafood are. Natural vitamins are generally derived from food, such as soy beans and other basic foods. I'm certainly not an expert, but am sure my cancer was from tobacco and alcohol use with a possible contributing factor of lack of rest. I've heard some stories that sleep deprivation can be a contributing factor to cancer. Don't think that is a formal study, just a supposition as the mouthwash theory is. As far as the age of the patients, I don't really know, only that all of the head and neck patients over the last two years are in the data base and I know there is a mix of ages in that time period as I have seen a number of the patients during my treatments. The doctor just mentioned in passing what was happening with his study and I thought the mouthwash thing was interesting. Didn't realize it was an old theory with a history. We'll just have to wait and see what the official study has to say. And I have no idea when that will be. But as I mentioned, I'll keep my ears open and update the board as time goes on.