How many of our Cancers were caused by alcohol and cigarettes

Thanks, Family
Your Fault?!? Last I heard, beer was not a contributing factor.

while we're at it, let's blame Uncle Rick for treating the lawn you played on as a child with chemicals. And Aunt Sue for taking you out for fast food weekly. And your sister for getting you to spend your birthday money on candy. And Grampa for living in that house with the weird fungus growing on the storage shed out back. And Gramma for putting petroleum jelly on your face tofight dryness. And Mom for not providing you with ideal nutrition 24/7. And Dad for not instilling in your little head the importance of daily exercise. And society for making us feel we MUST apply the makeup containing known carcinogens to look acceptable. The list could go on. My tumor was HPV negative; my doc said we can't tell what caused my cancer - probably a combination of factors.

It is what it is. Personally, I think that maybe your family members who don't drink or smoke want to think that those are surely the reasons you had cancer - that way they can feel personally "safe".

CAUSE
i believe if they knew what actually causes the head and neck cancers for certainty they could fine a cure and treatments much easier. we are unlucky yes but not because of what your thinking. when i was told i had cancer i said to the doc i don't drink, i don't smoke and i am not old what causes it... he said your just unlucky. truth be it our bodies fight cancer off everyday, one day a tiny spot got by our guard and bam i have cancer.
best thing to do is not put effort into searching for cause but use that energy to fight thru the treatments and live the new normal as a survivor

john
oh ya... 2 weeks shy of 16 years of diagnosis day and my new birthday day.

tell your Dad and Mom
it is their fault for contributing the genetics that allowed you to get cancer. Jeez.

ENT cancer is like most of the others: it is multifactorial in its "cause." Genetic predisposition is likelly the most important factor. Smoking, drinking, HPV and likely many other factors as yet to be elucidated are inciting factors, but NONE of them are the one and only cause of our malignancy.

There is absolutely nothing to be gained therefor, from blaming ourselves.

Best to you.

Pat

longtermsurvivor said:

tell your Dad and Mom
it is their fault for contributing the genetics that allowed you to get cancer. Jeez.

ENT cancer is like most of the others: it is multifactorial in its "cause." Genetic predisposition is likelly the most important factor. Smoking, drinking, HPV and likely many other factors as yet to be elucidated are inciting factors, but NONE of them are the one and only cause of our malignancy.

There is absolutely nothing to be gained therefor, from blaming ourselves.

Best to you.

Pat

ENT Cancer Is the Worst
LOL, sorry bro, just messing with you...it's early and I've had my coffee already.

Sorry, just struck me as funny at first, never really heard H&N cancer referred to as ENT Cancer...my Abi-Normal Humor kicking in early this morning.

I was thinking of ENT as in MD Professional.

Best,
JG

Skiffin16 said:

Just Smackem One
On the back of the head......

Like John and Pam mentioned above..."It is what it is".....

I'm not a smoker, and I am a casual beer drinker. My biopsy did show HPV+, so my presumption that was the cause.

As John mentioned, we all have cancer cells, HPV cells, and who knows what else going through our bodies at any given time. Usually our bodies dump them, though stress or something else going on, sometimes something gets through the immune system.

It's even been mentioned on here before, that someones relative told them that "GOD" was punishing them by them having cancer.

Pam....are we realted or do you live in my neighborhood....you seem to know my family well, LOL....

Best,
John

We must all be sinners!
The smoking, drinking, and oral sex cancer. If I had to get one , I'll take this one. I had a hard time with this initially but have come to realize that even the experts don't really know the answer. I think it's normal to look within yourself for an answer to the question, "What Caused My Cancer" which is the cover story of the winter issue of 'Cure Magazine', available at Cure.com. It's free to cancer patients. Consider that 75% of smokers don't get lung cancer. There are endless variations in exposures which make it impossible to determine cause on an individual basis.

ratface said:

We must all be sinners!
The smoking, drinking, and oral sex cancer. If I had to get one , I'll take this one. I had a hard time with this initially but have come to realize that even the experts don't really know the answer. I think it's normal to look within yourself for an answer to the question, "What Caused My Cancer" which is the cover story of the winter issue of 'Cure Magazine', available at Cure.com. It's free to cancer patients. Consider that 75% of smokers don't get lung cancer. There are endless variations in exposures which make it impossible to determine cause on an individual basis.

The Sinners Cancer
Yep, I've heard that term thrown around more than once....

Oh well, that's the way it goes.....least I must have been having fun. If you gotta go, go down swingin.... Oh, I better clarify that, not swinging as far as life style, swingin as in fighting, LOL.

JG

Sharon they are idiots.
Sharon they are idiots. Plain and simple. Just remember every day when you get up. You are ALIVE.

hawk711 said:

Ironic comparison
A good buddy of mine said to me, "wow, thousands of people on death row for murder and your the one that gets cancer. Doesn't seem fair" Well, as my old boss used to say, "who said life was going to be fair?"
I was told I was unlucky, non smoker, some drinks, but not to extreme. I am a believer in the hand me down theory of genes. Somewhere in my history, a bad gene made it's way into the chain, thus causing me to be susceptable to this crap....I blame my ancestors !!!!
As for now,, I am seeing every day as a present which I never did before.
Life is good......Don't take any blame. It is all happenstance.....

Viruses and immune system!
Obviously, this subject has been brought up before, many times. I believe most cancers are being caused by viruses that are weaking the immune system.

HPV-Oral, Cervical
Epstein Barr-NPC
CMV-Salivary gland (new article on oral cancer foundation site).

Obviously, with additional fuel such as smoking, drinking, diet, stress, etc; all contribute to decreasing the immune system. Who knows, those HPV negatives may have been false negatives? The test is only as good as the person and product doing the test.

I blame myself too, but what's done is done. All we can do is try to salvage what's left and stay away from friends or family who don't understand!

Pam M said:

Thanks, Family
Your Fault?!? Last I heard, beer was not a contributing factor.

while we're at it, let's blame Uncle Rick for treating the lawn you played on as a child with chemicals. And Aunt Sue for taking you out for fast food weekly. And your sister for getting you to spend your birthday money on candy. And Grampa for living in that house with the weird fungus growing on the storage shed out back. And Gramma for putting petroleum jelly on your face tofight dryness. And Mom for not providing you with ideal nutrition 24/7. And Dad for not instilling in your little head the importance of daily exercise. And society for making us feel we MUST apply the makeup containing known carcinogens to look acceptable. The list could go on. My tumor was HPV negative; my doc said we can't tell what caused my cancer - probably a combination of factors.

It is what it is. Personally, I think that maybe your family members who don't drink or smoke want to think that those are surely the reasons you had cancer - that way they can feel personally "safe".

I agree
Brava! Pam. Though, beer is alcohol, and alcohol can be a contributing factor.

In my case, it was most certainly genetics, because I have a genetic blood disorder, and if you are lucky enough to make it to adult hood, in almost every single case, you develop cancer of some kind. We are talking 20 year olds, that never drank or smoked, ending up with solid mass tumors and HNC (others are leukemia, breast, vulva, and others...)

I did drink some, and smoke some in my past as well. Not sure if I was tested for HPV. I didn't know about it at the time of my diagnosis, that was a connection, or I would have asked.

I think, to some degree, it has to be just the 'right combination' of unfortunate events. Like almost a combination lock, where each number needs to be dialed in to open, or puzzle pieces , where they all happen to align, and it triggers it.

The only thing I can say, is print out Pam's response and let your family read that. I don't care if you drank like a fish, and smoked like a chimney, and slept around like a cheap #ho&@, I would not wish I went through on anyone, and no one would 'deserve' it.

Having said that, I cannot get behind someone who continues to engage in smoking and drinking after they have been diagnosed. Though, I may be a hypocrite, because I do eat right, don't smoke or drink anymore, but I also don't get off my arse to do any exercise.

Some of my relatives, have said some pretty crappy stuff to me at times, but no one ever said any thing like that to me, and if they did, I can tell you they would ever be able to walk again, after I seriously reamed them a new one. or they would be walking pretty funny, I'll tell you that right now.

Jimbo55 said:

It Realy Doesn't Matter
Hi Sharon,

It just doesn't matter one single bit what caused our cancers. That is all in the past. What is important is the here and now, fighting with all you have to win the battle, to live life with gusto. Blame is for losers. Cheers.

Jimbo

Bravo
Well said, cancer is not a 12 step program where we have to stand up and confess our supposed sins or transgressions, what matters as you said is that the fight continues.

Linda