Marijuana.com

xxdr_zombiexx

Study finds no link to marijuana use and oral cancer
Source: cancerfacts.com | Tuesday, June 01, 2004

SEATTLE – June 1, 2004 – Contrary to previous research findings that suggested a link between marijuana use and oral cancer, a new study finds no such association.

The team of population scientists led by Dr. Stephen Schwartz, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center also found no added risk from marijuana among users who had other underlying risk factors for oral cancer, such as a history of tobacco use or heavy alcohol.

"When asking whether any marijuana use puts you at increased risk of oral cancer, our study is pretty solid in saying there's nothing going on there," Schwartz said in a prepared statement.

The study, conducted in collaboration with researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Seattle's Center for Health Studies, Group Health Cooperative, involved 1,022 men and women from 18 to 65 including 407 oral-cancer cases and a comparison group of 615 healthy subjects from western Washington who were interviewed in detail about their history of marijuana use, among other lifestyle factors.

Specifically, the researchers found that marijuana users with abnormal versions of GST (gluthathione S-transferase) genes, a class of genes that produce detoxifying enzymes that help whisk toxic byproducts from the body, were at no greater risk of oral cancer than those who carry normal versions of GST.

"Our study isn't the last word on whether there are certain genetic factors that may put people who smoke marijuana at an increased risk of oral cancer, but at least with respect to GST, we didn't find any evidence that marijuana use caused a higher risk than expected in any genetic subgroups," said lead author Dr. Karin A. Rosenblatt, associate professor of community health in the College of Applied Life Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.

The National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (both branches of the National Institutes of Health) funded the research, which counters findings from a smaller investigation, widely publicized in 1999. That study compared blood donors without oral cancer to patients who had been diagnosed with oral cancer at the same institution. It suggested that people who had ever used marijuana were at more than twice the risk of getting head-and-neck cancer as compared to non-users.

"Our study casts a fair bit of doubt on the overall conclusion of the previous study," said Schwartz, also a professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine. "Blood donors tend to have fewer high-risk habits than the general population. We felt our study, which used a comparison group selected from the general population, could more accurately determine whether oral-cancer patients were more likely to have used marijuana," he said.

The study found similar marijuana-use patterns among oral-cancer cases and a healthy comparison group. The majority used marijuana less than once a week, only 1 to 2 percent of cases and controls reported smoking marijuana daily or more, and only 6 percent of cases and 4 percent of controls reported having smoked marijuana for 15 years or more.

Because the incidence of extensive, long-term marijuana use was so low among the study population – a reflection of the population at large – it is unclear whether extremely heavy use over many years is related to the risk oral cancer, Schwartz said.

"Certainly even for moderate levels of use our study is pretty solid in saying there's no association, but when you get out to heavy-use patterns we can't be sure, because the numbers are still too small," said Schwartz.
Copyright © 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 NexCura, Inc.


__________________________________________________ __________

Men and women at equal lung cancer risk from smoking
Posted By: News-Medical in Miscellaneous News | Wednesday, 2-Jun-2004

The most detailed analysis to date of lung cancer risk among women does not support the theory that women are more susceptible than men to developing lung cancer after comparable amounts of smoking. A review of several large prospective studies, the first to examine this issue in multiple large prospective studies, concludes research on lung cancer prevention should focus on interventions that will have similar benefits for all, rather than focus on gender differences in susceptibility.

The American Cancer Society estimates tobacco will cause 139,600 –or 87 percent—of the 160,440 lung cancer deaths expected in 2004. Historically, men have been more likely to smoke, and therefore more likely to die of lung cancer. Lung cancer rates began to rise sharply for women in the mid-1960s among those who began smoking after World War II, surpassing breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer death among women in the late 1980s.

There has been substantial controversy over the possibility that women are more susceptible to develop lung cancer after comparable exposure, leading to studies to look for possible biological mechanisms to support the theory. The new report used two large existing prospective studies to calculate lung cancer incidence rates for women and men, adjusting for cigarettes smoked per day and years of smoking. The authors also reviewed data from six other prospective analyses, and conclude not one of the studies supports an excess risk of lung cancer for women.

“It’s unclear why some studies have pointed to an increased risk for women,” said Michael R. Thun, MD, chief epidemiologist for the American Cancer Society and co-author of the new review. “But this unprecedented review should help us focus on broad strategies that will be relevant to preventing tobacco use for everyone.”

The American Cancer Society is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by saving lives, diminishing suffering and preventing cancer through research, education, advocacy and service. Founded in 1913 and with national headquarters in Atlanta, the Society has 14 regional Divisions and local offices in 3,400 communities, involving millions of volunteers across the United States. For more information anytime, call toll free 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.

__________________
Alien Space Signal

There's no money for your issue so long as we're squandering $50 billion a year on the DrugWar. Ben Masel

Fear became the ultimate tool of this government - V.

 

reggie_the_dog

Even if you do get cancer the THC in the cannabis will help shrink the tumors once they first appear so I dont think we are giving ourselves that big of a risk of getting cancer from smoking cannabis flowers, I would like, however, to see some more research done on hashish......

melody

when are people going to realize that marijuana is not the "bad" drug that they would so much like it to be?!

Greenbud

Hooray!!! Another marijuana myth shot full of holes.

Each time the government fabricates another lie about marijuana, they pay scientists to research it and prove that their propaganda is true. And virtually every time, instead of backing up their lies, the research disproves them! First the feds told us that marijuana use caused "insanity, criminality and death". When research debunked that idea, the feds then claimed it caused brain damage and sterility. When that was dismissed, they started saying it caused lung and oral cancer. Now the scientists have found no connection between oral cancer and marijuana use. He!!, we've seen in other research that it could possibly prevent or even cure cancer.

The DEA and Walters are quickly running out of propaganda. I can only speculate on what wonderous lies they're going to cook up next...

__________________
"I believe in the near future, the government will use anti-drug hysteria to set up a police state."
-author William S. Burroughs, 1947

Community Posting Guidelines | Front Page Article Submission Guidelines

SevenLeafs

Indeed... They'll shure hang onto the idea that marijuana makes you lazy and "unmotivated", so you become a bum... damn marijuana!

The thing is, the more attention they bring to one of those myths, the better the chance that it will be proven wrong so... LET'S GET THOSE MYTHS FLOWING DEA!!! (you'll get more and more dissappointments ).

Peace.7L

__________________

"A soul in tension that's learning to fly
Condition grounded but determined to try
Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earth-bound misfit"
- Pink Floyd -

Just say KNOW!

 

Greenbud

Disproven.

SevenLeafs

That's excelent GeeBee, thanks for being right on top of things all the time The thing is that the government and any person who is against marijuana will surely put that fact aside . It's a sad thing to have the truth right in front of your eyes and not see it.

Peace.7L

PS: I find myself linking the word "sad" to the government very much lately... hmm, wonder why that is....

Logos

Suetaz submitted the following article. It is a different version of what Doc posted, and sourced from a different place. I figured instead of posting it separately, I'd just append it here.

Thanks Suetaz.

Study on marijuana use and oral cancer.

Study finds no association between marijuana use and incidence of oral cancer

June 01, 2004 |Science Blog

From the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center:

Contrary to previous research findings that have suggested a link, marijuana use does not appear to be associated with an increased risk of developing oral cancer, according to a large, population-based study led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Their findings, the result of the most comprehensive evaluation to date regarding the association between marijuana use and the incidence of oral squamous-cell carcinoma, appear in the June issue of Cancer Research, a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research.

The study, conducted in collaboration with researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Seattle's Center for Health Studies, Group Health Cooperative, found no association between marijuana use and increased oral-cancer risk, regardless of how long, how much or how often a person has used marijuana.

The study also found no increased risk among marijuana users who had other underlying risk factors for oral cancer, such as a history of tobacco use or heavy alcohol use.

''When asking whether any marijuana use puts you at increased risk of oral cancer, our study is pretty solid in saying there's nothing going on there,'' said Stephen M. Schwartz, Ph.D., a member of Fred Hutchinson's Public Health Sciences Division and the senior author of the study.

The study also found that marijuana smokers with certain common genetic variations that are known to interfere with the body's detoxification process are at no greater risk of oral cancer than those who carry normal copies of such genes. Specifically, the researchers found that marijuana users with defective versions of GST (gluthathione S-transferase) genes, a class of genes that produce detoxifying enzymes that help whisk toxic byproducts from the body, were at no greater risk of oral cancer than those who carry normal versions of GST.

''Our study isn't the last word on whether there are certain genetic factors that may put people who smoke marijuana at an increased risk of oral cancer, but at least with respect to GST, we didn't find any evidence that marijuana use caused a higher risk than expected in any genetic subgroups,'' said first author Karin A. Rosenblatt, Ph.D., an associate professor of community health in the College of Applied Life Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.

The study involved 407 oral-cancer cases and 615 healthy control subjects from western Washington who had been interviewed in detail about their history of marijuana use, among other lifestyle factors. Participants, both male and female, ranged in age from 18 to 65. The oral-cancer cases were identified through a population-based cancer registry housed at Fred Hutchinson that is part of the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results program.

The National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (both branches of the National Institutes of Health) funded the research.

The Fred Hutchinson study counters findings from a smaller investigation, widely publicized in 1999, which suggested that ever-users of marijuana were at more than twice the risk of getting head-and-neck squamous-cell carcinoma as compared to non-users.

''Our study casts a fair bit of doubt on the overall conclusion of the previous study,'' Schwartz said.

The earlier study had a number of limitations, most importantly the fact that its control, or comparison, group was comprised of individuals who had donated blood at the same hospital where the oral-cancer cases had been treated.

''Blood donors tend to have fewer high-risk habits than the general population,'' Schwartz said, referring to the fact that they're screened for certain lifestyle factors such as intravenous-drug use as well as for previous infection with HIV and hepatitis. Blood donors might therefore be less likely to have a history of marijuana use, he said. ''We felt our study, which used controls selected from the general population, could more accurately determine whether oral-cancer patients were more likely to have used marijuana,'' he said.

Another strength of the Fred Hutchinson study is that it involved nearly three times as many participants as the previous investigation, which included 173 oral-cancer cases and 176 healthy controls. ''The size of our study tends to make our findings statistically stable,'' Schwartz said.

In addition, the Fred Hutchinson study collected much more detailed information about the participants' history of marijuana use than did the previous investigation, and it also included a greater proportion of long-term marijuana users; 10.9 percent of participants in the Fred Hutchinson study reported smoking marijuana for five or more years as compared to 3.5 percent of participants in the previous study. Despite the strengths of the most recent study, Schwartz is quick to point out its limitations.

First, like the previous study, it relied on participants' self-reporting of marijuana use, which could have been somewhat biased. Second, only 60 percent if the intended subjects actually participated.

''However, those who did participate in the study appeared to be representative of what we'd expect in terms of lifestyle factors associated with oral-cancer epidemiology,'' Schwartz said. ''The oral-cancer patients in our study tended to smoke a lot more, they drank a lot more and they were of lower income and education level than the general population. In addition, our study's control group echoed national estimates of marijuana use.''

The study found similar marijuana-use patterns among oral-cancer cases and healthy controls. The majority used marijuana less than once a week, only 1 to 2 percent of cases and controls reported smoking marijuana daily or more, and only 6 percent of cases and 4 percent of controls reported having smoked marijuana for 15 years or more.

Because the incidence of extensive, long-term marijuana use was so low among the study population – a reflection of the population at large – it is unclear whether extremely heavy use over many years is related to the risk oral cancer, Schwartz said. ''Certainly even for moderate levels of use our study is pretty solid in saying there's no association, but when you get out to heavy-use patterns we can't be sure, because the numbers are still too small,'' said Schwartz, also a professor of epidemiology at the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine.

[Suetaznote: Heavy users might be more inclined to help out with studies if the herb were LEGAL!]

National surveys have found that about a quarter of the population has smoked marijuana at some point in their lives, and that about 4 percent of the population, or 6 million people, report occasional use of marijuana.

[Suetaznote: And how many millions didn't report it because they are too paranoid of people finding out?]

While the incidence of casual marijuana use has remained stable during the past decade, habitual use/abuse appears to be on the rise. Two recent, nationally representative surveys by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found habitual marijuana use/dependence has increased more than 20 percent in the past decade among American adults, particularly young minorities and baby boomers. Such use is defined as repeated use of the drug that causes problems functioning at work, in school or in social situations, or creating marijuana-related legal problems.

[Suetaznote: This info comes from the government, therefore I take it where it is coming from and know that it's full of lies. The marijuana related legal problems are due to prohibitionand the legal costs of getting caught. It's not like cocain where the user gets addicted and blows all their money on the blow. Marijuana is expensive, but it's not going to put someone in the poor house for using it.]

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 28,000 new cases of oral cavity/pharynx cancer are expected this year; incidence rates are more than twice as high in men as in women. The five-year survival rate for all stages combined is 57 percent.

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, home of two Nobel laureates, is an independent, nonprofit research institution dedicated to the development and advancement of biomedical technology to eliminate cancer and other potentially fatal diseases. Fred Hutchinson receives more funding from the National Institutes of Health than any other independent U.S. research center. Recognized internationally for its pioneering work in bone-marrow transplantation, the center's four scientific divisions collaborate to form a unique environment for conducting basic and applied science. Fred Hutchinson, in collaboration with its clinical and research partners, the University of Washington Academic Medical Center and Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in the Pacific Northwest and is one of 38 nationwide. For more information, visit the center's Web site at www.fhcrc.org.

__________________
Brother Logos
The more I learn, the less I know. | Truth doesn't change, only our perception of it does.
THC Ministry | The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ | The Reluctant Messenger of Science and Religion
True religion is real living, living with all one's soul, with all ones goodness and righteousness. --Albert Einstein

smoking_joe_lee

More good news about marijuana and confirmation (not that it is needed) that it is wise to quit smoking cigarettes.
What are the odds of a story containing the words "marijuana" and "oral" but not "Clinton" or, ha,ha, "sax?"