Brian....You mentioned that as smoking diminishes in the US, viruses are taking its place as causes of OC. I would like to explore this topic more. I recently had an irritated gum (much like the one that became cancerous) in another area (of course, since the original area is gone!) and my periodontist said that it was most likely caused by a virus. It took 2-3 weeks to resolve. I feel like this was what was going on for several years in the area that became cancer. It could not have been malignant for several years, could it? It would have gone everywhere in that time.

Hmmmmmm (again)....I would really like to hear more about non-tobacco causes.....and about viruses other than the HPV virus.

Colleen--T-2N0M0 SCC dx'd 12/28/05...Hemi-maxillectomy, partial palatectomy, neck dissection 1/4/06....clear margins, neg. nodes....no radiation, no chemo....Cancer-free at 4 years!