Information regarding Mouth Cancer

[harnessingruin]

Hello.My dad has last stage (i think its called stage IV?) mouth cancer.He first got operated in 2003 and since then its been on and off.I would like to know,he never smoked or took liquor or tobacco or any excess of salt or any such thing.Then how did it happen?Its not genetics because none of my family members had cancer before.Its kind of strange considering the fact that a person who never smoked or anything is actually at his last stage..

Help will really be appreciated.Thanks.

[brainman]

Hi harnessingruin. I am very sorry about your father's advanced mouth cancer. Although smoking might make one more susceptible to Oral Cancer, it is not a 1 to 1 thing. There are many smokers who never get cancer and there are many none smokers that do. The cause of cancer is not that clear.

I do not know how long your father has left. The fact that he has a stage IV cancer does not mean that he is in his "last stage"... it just means that his cancer is the most aggressive type. Some people start with a Stage IV cancer.

You and your father are in my thoughts and prayers.

[harnessingruin]

Thank you for your reply.

My dad does have a very small amount of time left.Doctors have said it themselves.The Chemotherepy sessions have now created a huge hole in the neck..(not the stoma ,that is there to).I can see his jaw straight throw .Everything in his neck his visible through that neck.And he sleeps the entire day feeling very weak and vomits the next minute when he takes the feed.So after all this has happened,i was very curious to know the main factor behind all this.Because i have heard that cancer can be through genes to..

[centaura]

The exact cause of cancer is unknown. There are certain types that are predominantly associated with things like smoking, etc., and there are types that certain genes leave you more likely to get. There are cancers that are caused by environmental factors, and then there are cancers that just start because one cell split the wrong way in its normal day to day function. Sometimes this shows up dramatically - like a baby born without a limb for instance - or sometimes it happens inside, doesn't go anywhere, and you're never aware of it. Your cells are constantly growing and renewing themselves, and sometimes things go wrong. I am being tested for a possible throat cancer. I've never smoked a cigarette in my life. But, like babies born with birth defects - no one knows exactly what starts the process or how to stop it from happening. Yeah, there are 'triggers' that 'typically' can cause cancer, but its not 100%.

I'm sorry to hear that you're in your situation, and I wish that I could tell you something that would make it all make sense - but it doesn't, so I can't. I hope he can pass peacefully when that time comes.

-Centaura