Roman Byst
Mon, Dec-12-05, 06:16
Graciela Flores, "Smoking lowers chances of surviving throat
cancer", Reuters UK, December 9, 2005, Link: http://today.r-
euters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=-
2005-12-09T143632Z_01_SIB952542_RTRIDST_0_HEALTH-SMOKING-CA-
NCER-DC.XML
For people with cancer of the larynx or lower pharynx,
continuing to smoke or drink alcohol make it less likely that
they'll survive, while eating a diet rich in vegetables and
vitamin C improves their survival, a new study shows.
"One might think, now I that have cancer, what's the point of
stopping smoking? But there is clearly a benefit in doing
that; it will improve your survival," Dr. Rajesh P. Dikshit
commented to Reuters Health.
Tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking, and diet have all been
linked to the development of cancer in the larynx, or
voicebox, and the area immediately above it at the back of the
throat, the hypopharynx. However, little was known about the
role of these risk factors on the survival of patients with
these cancers.
Dikshit, working for the International Agency for Research on
Cancer in Lyon, France, and his colleagues conducted a study
to analyze the survival of patients with laryngeal and
hypopharyngeal cancer. They followed 931 patients who had
enrolled in a previous cancer study that had started in the
early 80s, and analyzed the role of tobacco, alcohol and diet
on cancer outcome in these patients for up to 21 years.
As they report in the International Journal of Cancer, the
investigators found that smoking was the most important factor
adversely affecting the patient's survival, particularly in
those patients with tumors in the larynx.
"This is a very important finding," Dikshit told Reuters
Health. "We knew that smoking is a cause of laryngeal and
hypopharyngeal cancer, but now it's clear that it affects
survival as well." Alcohol consumption also had a negative
effect on survival, but to a lesser extent than tobacco.
But the most important result, Dikshit remarked, was the
protective effect of some diet components. "We found that a
high intake of vitamin C significantly improved the patients'
survival."
The investigators also found a strong protective effect of a
diet rich in vegetables, but not of the individual
components found in those vegetables. Only vitamin C was
protective on its own.
"The message here is that it is very important to stop smoking
even after developing laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer,"
Dikshit said.
Eating vegetables and vitamin C is also something cancer
patients should consider. "Doctors are prescribing this
already, but now we have demonstrated that these diet
components improve the patient's survival, and perhaps make
the treatment more effective."
SOURCE: International Journal of Cancer, December 2005
cancer", Reuters UK, December 9, 2005, Link: http://today.r-
euters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=healthNews&storyID=-
2005-12-09T143632Z_01_SIB952542_RTRIDST_0_HEALTH-SMOKING-CA-
NCER-DC.XML
For people with cancer of the larynx or lower pharynx,
continuing to smoke or drink alcohol make it less likely that
they'll survive, while eating a diet rich in vegetables and
vitamin C improves their survival, a new study shows.
"One might think, now I that have cancer, what's the point of
stopping smoking? But there is clearly a benefit in doing
that; it will improve your survival," Dr. Rajesh P. Dikshit
commented to Reuters Health.
Tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking, and diet have all been
linked to the development of cancer in the larynx, or
voicebox, and the area immediately above it at the back of the
throat, the hypopharynx. However, little was known about the
role of these risk factors on the survival of patients with
these cancers.
Dikshit, working for the International Agency for Research on
Cancer in Lyon, France, and his colleagues conducted a study
to analyze the survival of patients with laryngeal and
hypopharyngeal cancer. They followed 931 patients who had
enrolled in a previous cancer study that had started in the
early 80s, and analyzed the role of tobacco, alcohol and diet
on cancer outcome in these patients for up to 21 years.
As they report in the International Journal of Cancer, the
investigators found that smoking was the most important factor
adversely affecting the patient's survival, particularly in
those patients with tumors in the larynx.
"This is a very important finding," Dikshit told Reuters
Health. "We knew that smoking is a cause of laryngeal and
hypopharyngeal cancer, but now it's clear that it affects
survival as well." Alcohol consumption also had a negative
effect on survival, but to a lesser extent than tobacco.
But the most important result, Dikshit remarked, was the
protective effect of some diet components. "We found that a
high intake of vitamin C significantly improved the patients'
survival."
The investigators also found a strong protective effect of a
diet rich in vegetables, but not of the individual
components found in those vegetables. Only vitamin C was
protective on its own.
"The message here is that it is very important to stop smoking
even after developing laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer,"
Dikshit said.
Eating vegetables and vitamin C is also something cancer
patients should consider. "Doctors are prescribing this
already, but now we have demonstrated that these diet
components improve the patient's survival, and perhaps make
the treatment more effective."
SOURCE: International Journal of Cancer, December 2005