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