Hi,
I've just posted a story to the news section of the OCF site of an abstract of a journal article from the Journal of Alcohol and Alcoholism that surveyed all available studies relating to the continuation of drinking after a diagnosis of upper aerodigestive tract cancer.

The key result:
"Between 34 and 57% of oral cancer patients continue to drink alcohol after cancer diagnosis. Continued drinking increases complications from surgery, increases the likelihood of recurrent cancer, and reduces disease-specific survival."

The article can be found at:
http://oralcancernews.org/wp/clinic...sis-of-upper-aerodigestive-tract-cancer/

Food for thought! - Sheldon

As I sit here I am drinking a beer, I have continued to drink a modest amount of alcohol throughout my life and after diagnosis. Some here would say I am an alcoholic. Perhaps they are right. I don't think so. (don't start on the denial thing)

I am approaching the 5 year mark of survival. I resent the academics that cannot identify the certain cause of this cancer, telling me that my alcohol consumption will result in my demise. To me, it is their lame understanding and worse lack of detailed probing into the alternative causes that is why we have young and non-drinkers coming here as newly diagnosed.

My full opinion is

Do some reasearch that really affects the long term survival and/or early diagnosis and you'll have my attention. Until then don't bother me with this kind of drivel.

PS Absolutely none of this is directed at Shel.

Being an alcoholic myself I have some personal experience in this area. 1. You're only an alcoholic if you drink alcoholically. 2. Even then only the individual themself can make that determination.

There are statistics that would indicate a correlation with tobacco and/or alcohol consumption as causitive factor in as much as 80% of head & neck cancers and many other forms of cancer as well. Retrospective analysis is fairly straightforward. Is a beer every now and then going to kill you? I think not. Is 3 or more a night going to kill you who knows? I have also seen statistics that would indicate that total abstainers have a higher death rate than moderate drinkers. Go figure that one out.

Annual alcohol related deaths rival the total cancer death rate. Twice as many people die annually from auto accidents involving alcohol than the entire H&N cancer death rate. But now I'm getting off topic with non-cancer drivel!

For those of you who just can't break the habit, I wish to thank you for improving my statistical survival odds.

I went through Cisplatin chemotherapy to improve my survival odds a measly 13%. If quitting drnking will produce a 34-57% improvement - seems like a no brainer to me.

Absolutely none of this is directed at Mark.

Ssax - Interesting article. It would seem that drinking alcohol must take another hit. I suppose we could say the same things about chlorine or ammonia or valium - they are hazardous to health.

Alcohol. Your body doesn't need it, or make it, or even have a good way to get rid of it. It is toxic to all human tissues and has a profoundly negative effect on all nerves and smooth muscles. Your body must stop doing healthy chemical processes in order to perform the detox needed to rid the system of alcohol - in any amount.

Alcohol, like all mood altering drugs, is used because it changes the way we feel. Its only benevolence is that of anesthesia. Its too expensive to drink for thirst reasons. It just feels good.

I was the clinical director for the local alcoholism treatment facility for 20+ years here. My favorite expression about drinking: "Alcohol. It makes you smart." Tom

The husband of a colleague I work with was recently diagnosed with advsanced stage throat cancer and is being treated at Sloan Kettering. They immediately told him he should stop dirnking and stay stopped after treatment--nothing about its OK in moderation or anything. She was less than impressed by the folks here (whom they saw first before going to Sloan) in part because they said moderate consumption was OK (which is what my ENT told me).

I think the message needs to be clearer from all doctors, and maybe this study will do this, that no one can say for sure that moderate consumption is safe. I'm completely willing to totally abstain for the rest of my life if that's the case but if docs I trust are saying a beer or glass of wine once in a while is OK, it confuses me!

I have to tell you, I don't recall anyone suggesting moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages. I have heard that an occasional drink is OK, but not moderate. I had stopped initially, but now I will have a few drinks a week. This is not a daily thing, just occasionally. MSKCC will always take the safe position on things such as this and I almost admire a doctor that will say, sure have an OCCASIONAL drink if it does not bother you. I read that it is 34 to 57% of H and N patients continue to consume, not that your prognosis will improve by this amount if you do not. Anyway, that will be my post for the month and none of this is directed at any of you.

Glenn

I guess it depends on how you define moderate. To me, a few drinks a week is moderate (and this is what I asked my ENT about). To me, occassional would be a drink or two every two or three weeks. But that's just my subjective definition! Probably subjective definitions are part of the problem here....

Several years ago, while I was caring for my mother, our Internist[MD] suggested I drink a glass or 2 of wine before going to bed at night[I was having trouble sleeping and wanted sleeping pills]
Said that's what he did to unwind when he was not on call. This is a very interesting subject.Amy

This thread is fascinating to me for a few reasons.

I have never consumed excessive alcohol, even as a teen. Being 36, I couldn't believe the diagnosis especially since I've never smoked.

I would enjoy a glass of wine maybe 5 times a month, and sometimes go 2 or 3 weeks without any.

We live smack-dab in the heart of California's wine country, and in less than a year had to try to become psuedo-wine-affectionados (sp?).

So, I asked every Dr I talked to about the connections, and almost everyone said "bad luck". But, without exception, each said to not smoke or drink in the future to increase survival odds.

Now, I can't stand to even sip a glass of wine, and can't get near a scotch.

The burn and pain, plus the horrible tastes make it impossible.

So, problably for the better anyway, but sometimes I wonder if everyone has the same effect.

I know there are hundreds hit by this disease that are much younger and have even less risk factors, so I don't think we know all the facts yet.

A glass or two of wine 5-6 times a month was basically my consumption prior to being diagnosed. And we're right on the edge of upstate NY wine country and over the years I had gradually been getting into finding local wines I liked.

I haven't tried drinking any kind of alcohol since radiation--I'm sure it would hurt my mouth--even biotene mouthwash still stings one spot on my tongue but I do smell and savor the smell of wine when my husband has a glass. I think enjoying the smell will do me just fine and now when we have guests who want to tour the vineyards we won't have to argue about who is going to drive!