Nicotine Gum linked to mouth Cancer

[Computer Extreme]

ok this says nicotine gum is linked to mouth cancer because it has nicotine in it:

http://news.scotsman.com/cancerresearch/Nicotine-gum-linked-to-mouth.5196874.jp

But then says that nicotine itself does not cause cancer.

So its the chewing gum that causes mouth cancer?

Remember these are doctors...

 

[OutWest]

It could be the nitrosamines. There are carcinogenic nitrosamines in nicotine gum.

 

[applefr3ak]

in the patch too i believe

 

[vaporich]

I have tried those a long time ago but I did not like them.

 

[Computer Extreme]

So It seems that the gum itself not the nicotine is the cancer causing culprit.

I was looking for water filters today and found the same garbage as the anti smokers..

4000 known carcinigens etc... in tap water...

Maybe it was the tap water that caused the cancer and the gum, but not the nicotine.

 

[Angela]

The report linking nicotine to cancer was reported in the UK media a couple of months ago: they stated that, although there had previously thought to have been no link whatsoever between nicotine and cancer, that a recent study suggested that it may have an effect on pre-cancerous cells - ie that it may hasten cancer along in cells that were likely to become cancerous anyway.

No real biggy IMHO, plus they also stated that further study needed to be done to confirm these initial findings.

It was reported in this manner on all the major channels in the national news and newspapers. At least the UK media manage to report it in a balanced way without scaremongering and giving plenty of actual facts!!!!!

 

[TropicalBob]

A smoker has likely created numerous pre-cancerous areas in the mouth, thanks to years of irritating the tongue, gums and cheeks with hot, acid smoke. So if nicotine acts as a catalyst for pre-cancerous lesions, the connection is made. Cancer that would not have further developed is suddenly fertilized and grows after being scraped raw by nicotine gum.

I know nicotine gum tore up my mouth. It didn't stop cravings and pretty soon my mouth was too sore to continue chewing that ineffective junk. E-Cigs have produced no such problem for me. Neither have snus or dissolvables. Nicotine gum is uniquely irritating and that irritation could be triggering mouth cancers.

 

[J.R.]

Nicorette had no such ill-effects for me...I chewed it for a long while with some success...I simply found myself unable to keep from smoking by the end of the day. I had managed to cut my number of smokes per day though. As for cancer, I would imagine the nitrosamines in the gum compound with the already damaged and susceptible mouth of a long-time smoker.

 

[Kitabz]

ok this says nicotine gum is linked to mouth cancer because it has nicotine in it:

Nicotine gum linked to mouth cancer - Scotsman.com News

But then says that nicotine itself does not cause cancer.

So its the chewing gum that causes mouth cancer?

Remember these are doctors...

I guess the problem with this is that there can't be many (any?) users of nicotine gum who were not previously smokers so any evaluation of its risks is pretty much useless.

The level or TSNAs (or anything else) in the gum is so negligible that it's highly unlikely [though not impossible] to be the cause.

There are only a few things where cause & effect can be clearly demonstrated, e.g., smoking, asbestos, ethanol. Other than those - and others that I can't remember ATM - we're working with relatively low numbers so the best advice is just to ignore the hysteria, don't do anything excessively and forget about health risks.

 

[bestquit]

So you are sure that nicotine gum never increases the cancer.It is just because that chewing the gum long time will cause the mouth cancer.As the same I got the information about this nicotine gum.So thanks for the information.

 

[Computer Extreme]

Maybe its some of the chemicals in the gum?

 

[dragonpuff]

Look at the language they use:

CHEWING gum and lozenges containing nicotine could be linked to mouth cancer...
...these therapies could have the potential to cause mouth cancer.

And the logical argument that "proves" this point:

Researchers from the Institute of Dentistry, Queen Mary University London, found nicotine increased the levels of a gene called FOXM1. They also found FOXM1 was increased in the early stages of mouth cancer.

In other words: A is associated with B, and B is associated with C. Therefore, A is associated with C.

This is a tenuous argument. Just because A is friends with B and B is friends with C doesn't automatically mean that A is buddy-buddy with C.

Now, I don't know what other factors could increase the presence of FOXM1 (there could be a factor "D" that they haven't found yet which ties it all together), but i do know that these studies are clearly in their very early stages and have only shown associations thus far. Hence, they're not confirming anything but "maybe."

 

[LaceyUnderall]

As Angela noted, it is my understanding that nicotine increases cell growth.

For instance, they are currently testing a nicotine lotion in California on the skin rashes of diabetics that could lead to amputation. They are hoping that the nicotine in the lotion will help regenerate cell growth.

So as Tropical Bob noted, it is possible that the mouth of a smoker has pre-cancerous growths already, and the chaffing of the gum and then the accelerated growth by nicotine, could lead to this.

There is also the smokers paradox. Smokers paradox is they are finding more and more that people who have been long time smokers who quit, end up getting cancer within the next 5-10 years. I don't think there have been any studies on this, I am sure if there have a few members could provide further detail.... However, one thing would be interesting to know if in these cases of smokers paradox, were they on other types of nicotine such as the gum or the patch or the inhaler.

In my grandmothers case, it was the inhaler and the gum. 50 years smoking... no cancer... lungs clean as a whistle. Quit smoking because she was sick of everyone nagging her... sucked on the gum and the inhaler like a race-horse and at year 10 of being quit... suddenly gets lung cancer which ravages her entire body within a year flat.

 

[surbitonPete]

I wish there was 'one' country in the world where nobody has ever smoked tobacco....... I wonder just how different the rates of cancer would be per thousand of population.

 

[LaceyUnderall]

I wish there was 'one' country in the world where nobody has ever smoked tobacco....... I wonder just how different the rates of cancer would be per thousand of population.

That would be interesting.

However, IMHO, you would have to ensure that they are drinking milk from cows that have never been pumped with antibiotics and hormones, eating meat with the same, chickens that were fed grains not reprocessed meat and so on.

Really, we would need to go back in time before A.D. but unfortunately, things weren't written down and if they were, they were either changed, burned, or they had no clue what ailment it was the person died from.

 

[MaxUT]

There is also the smokers paradox. Smokers paradox is they are finding more and more that people who have been long time smokers who quit, end up getting cancer within the next 5-10 years. I don't think there have been any studies on this....

There was a study in Spain which found that long-time smokers who quit had twice the risk of lung cancer for a number of years after quitting, compared to an otherwise similar group who continued to smoke.

The conjecture was, the body tries to adjust to the toxins and irritants from smoking and builds defenses against them. When the irritation is removed, the body reverts as much as possible to normal, however: much of the tar and carcinogens are still there in the lungs. And now the defenses are lowered.

 

[LaceyUnderall]

There was a study in Spain which found that long-time smokers who quit had twice the risk of lung cancer for a number of years after quitting, compared to an otherwise similar group who continued to smoke.

The conjecture was, the body tries to adjust to the toxins and irritants from smoking and builds defenses against them. When the irritation is removed, the body reverts as much as possible to normal, however: much of the tar and carcinogens are still there in the lungs. And now the defenses are lowered.

Lovely. Thank you. Now I know the origin of the study so I can go and find it.

I know I have witnessed smokers paradox and heard about it from others...