Once you have cancer, the original cause is really a moot issue. But the desire to spare others from what we suffered prompts this type of questioning. I hope that Brian does remain steadfast in keeping OCF firmly in the realm of evidentiary science. The current news onslaught highlights the inherent unreliability of surveys. Simply too many variables to factor in correctly.
The proposed list could be expanded to ask
Did you work at a high stress job?
Did you drink tap water regularly?
etc, etc etc
One reason why all the money for Cancer research has not been as fruitful as it might have been is institutional reward for publishing more sophisticated versions of Bailey's post. While very human, confusing coincidence with causality is the false premise behind otherwise logical approaches. As David says, JM2cs. It seems like the perfect (total prevention of cancer) is driving out the good (a better cure than burn & poison) in most of the cancer fundraising material I receive.

Well, it might help if you told us what kind of oral cancer she and her friends have had. There are 4 types that are highly associated with the HPV virus.

MSG, my daughter had SCC T3N0 of her Left lateral tongue......Her original biopsies were negative for HPV. The other young people were also SCC, originating on tongue.
I have had other ideas given to me for questions re: similarities. well water, bottled water, city water: nuclear power plants. A common concern it sounds is tooth whiteners/bleach especially from when they first became available. High stress people/tempermants.
I am hoping that Brian is trying to come up with a good way to do this. I am having alot of interest shown. Thanks, I really agree that it could be interesting, if not helpful as well. Worth an attempt. Brian, there is alot of interest, how can we do this? I will try to contact you directly in the next few days. Tomorrow, is the first anniversary of Christa's death from oral cancer at the age of 32, with a 2 yr old daughter and young widower husband. She was a Pharm. Rep, volunteered at a Local Hospital in Rockford in the Pediatric Dept. She ate all healthy! Exercised. Didn't smoke. Happy and full of fun. NO risk factors. Just like so many others who have suffered.

They are finding that cancer is a very complicated disease. Recent findings suggest that there are many roads that can lead to the same kind of cancer. A woman recently had her complete genome sequenced of both her healthy and cancerous tissues. They found roughly 10 genetic mutations. The surprise is, they've shown that other people with the same kind of leukemia had a different set of genetic mutations. That's just astounding. The implications are enormous.

Risk factors are just a set of probabilities. It doesn't necessarily mean you will get cancer. Did you know that roughly only 20% of all smokers get lung cancer? The reason why it's a risk factor is because 80% of all lung cancer victims are or were smokers.

I'm terribly sorry to hear about your daughter's death. I hope she's in a much better place. It's good to be aware, but a life lived in fear, is a life half lived. Just live your life as much as you can. We all have to face the grim reaper some day.

MSG,
I don't want to come across as in anyway defending smoking, but I don't believe your assumption that 20% of smokers develop lung cancer is anywhere near accurate.

Research shows that even among long-term, heavy smokers, the risk of getting lung cancer can vary dramatically -- from less than 1 percent to 15 percent.

To be in Sloan-Kettering's long-term, heavy smokers, high risk category, the person has to have smoked at least a pack a day for the last 20 years and be over 50 years old.

SOURCES: Peter Bach, M.D., epidemiologist and pulmonary physician, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York

http://www.lifeclinic.com/fullpage.aspx?prid=512291&type=1

I have my thoughts on this OC and it seems to be a fairly new disease. So that in itself would eliminate a lot of the causes you listed. People were raised for years on a lot of the things you stated and many years ago. I had one Great grandma live to be 108 and another Great that made 96. My mind has HPV right at the top of the list because sex was mainly between a husband and wife with no fill ins. The 96 yr old one smoked a corn cob pipe daily. I am 72 and 3/4 and will be 73 in Feb so I have been around for a few years myself.