Now, I will see if I can get a controversial thread going. As many of you know, the somewhat older profile of a "typical" SCC victim, if you will, was a 55 year old male that drank a lot (mostly hard liquor) and sometimes drinkers that smoked. Some of the older stuff I read drew more connection to heavy drinkers than smokers. In the last 5-10 years that has shifted quite a bit and now it is more unclear as to any direct correlations to at risk behaviors. I, for one, smoked pot for many years and even questioned with my doctors if this could have contributed. They all said studies did not indicate the connection (or correlation, statistically). I believe different because I have seen the inside of a pipe after a bigt weekend. Anyway, the doctor said if you continue the at risk behavior, you could see the cancer manifesting itself somewhere else in the path of the at risk behavior. So, for example, if you (me) were a heavy pot smoker, pot smoking in any degree could trigger the same cancer. By reaon, a heavy drinker/smoker that continues the behavior could see the cancer striking somewhere else.

This line of reasoning would say IF (and only if) we knew what caused the cancer, we should abstain. However, we will never know. An occasional drink shouldn't hurt anything unless any occasion will do. Excessive anything in life other than love seems to cause some trouble some how.

Ed