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ASH Daily News

14 November 2006

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HEADLINES

Cancer that kills every five hours

Australia: ACCC takes court action against British American Tobacco over Dunhill wallet pack cigarettes

USA: Health groups file to appeal US tobacco case

Quebec, Canada: Bar owners protest against smoking ban

FULL TEXT

Cancer that kills every five hours

To mark Mouth Cancer Awareness Week several papers include case studies across the UK. The following is a report from Newcastle.


You may not know it but mouth cancer kills someone in the UK every five hours. Health reporter Jane Picken talks to patients and professionals about the little-mentioned illness.

Brenda Brady was once at the centre of office life, working hard at her job as a busy secretary. But now the 59-year-old cannot even lick an envelope.

There are certain words she can't begin to pronounce and she's said goodbye to her beloved bacon sandwiches, replacing them with a diet of smoothies and soups.

It's all because the mum-of-two - and soon-to-be grandmother - has fought mouth cancer since January 2004.

"I worry about what my children are going to call my grandchildren, with my first being born in February," said Brenda, who lives in Whitley Bay with her husband John, 61. "There are certain sounds I can't really pronounce, especially hard Gs, so names like Grant and Gary would be really difficult.

"Because my tongue is now tethered to the side of my mouth there are a lot of things which are very tricky. I have trouble swallowing now and everything has to be pureed, but now I'm used to it all."

After diagnosing mouth cancer in January 2004, doctors had to operate to remove the tumour and then rebuilt her jaw with bones from her thigh during another two operations - one of which lasted a staggering 11 hours.
And when, in December 2005, they found another tumour, this time on her skull, Brenda was whisked down to London for radiotherapy.

Brenda thinks her mouth cancer developed following other problems she's had with her saliva glands. The tumour was identified in an operation in 2003 year and confirmed as cancer in the following January.

"I've never smoked and I only drink a bit socially so I think it's come from the problems with my saliva glands," said Brenda.

"I had a very aggressive form and it spread through my jaw and tongue within weeks. But what I didn't realise was mouth cancer has such a low profile compared to other cancers. So it's important more people get to know more about it."

High profile figures have also brought mouth cancer into the spotlight - the journalist husband of TV cook Nigella Lawson, John Diamond, spoke openly about the illness which eventually killed him.

World-renowned psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud and Rat Pack singer Sammy Davis Jr also suffered from mouth cancer.

And today is the beginning of Mouth Cancer Awareness Week, co-ordinated by the British Dental Health Foundation, which aims to increase the public's knowledge of this disease's symptoms and significant risk factors.

Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption have been linked to mouth cancer and recent studies indicate smokers are six times more likely to develop the disease.

Dr Ray Lowry, a senior lecturer at Newcastle University, who has researched mouth cancer extensively, said: "We have looked at people at risk of oral cancer and asked them for their views.

"We are working to encourage those at risk to seek help early. Dentists and doctors are trained to recognise the early signs of mouth cancer."

Ailsa Rutter, director of Fresh, Smoke-Free North East pressure group, added: "It's vitally important to increase public awareness of the risks and symptoms of mouth cancer as many people remain totally unaware of how common an illness this is.

"Along with lung cancer and many other illnesses, mouth cancer is regularly associated with smoking. Some 90% of sufferers are smokers."

The Evening Chronicle (Newcastle), 13 Nov 2006
http://tinyurl.com/ylrbso



Australia: ACCC takes court action against British American Tobacco over Dunhill wallet pack cigarettes

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has today instituted legal proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia against British American Tobacco Australia Limited in relation to the supply of Limited Edition Dunhill cigarette wallet packs (aka Dunhill wallet packs).

The ACCC alleges that BATA has breached section 65D of the Trade Practices Act 1974 in supplying Dunhill wallet packs that allegedly do not comply with the prescribed consumer product information standard in relation to tobacco labelling requirements, namely Trade Practices (Consumer Product Information Standards) (Tobacco) Regulations 2004.

The ACCC is seeking an urgent injunction that BATA be restrained from supplying or offering to supply the Dunhill wallet packs and that BATA will take reasonable steps to ensure that the Dunhill wallet packs already supplied are immediately removed from retail sale within Australia.

The ACCC is also currently seeking the following court orders:

* declarations that BATA contravened the Act
* permanent injunctions restraining BATA from supplying the Dunhill wallet packs, or cigarette packs in a similar form
* an order for public disclosure,
* and costs.

A hearing has been set down for 10.15 a.m. this Friday, 17 November in the Federal Court, Sydney before Justice Tamberlin.


M2.com 14 Nov. 2006
http://www.m2.com/m2/web/story.php/2006BE8BE2D27CECB84280257226001C0156


USA: Health groups file to appeal US tobacco case

Anti-smoking and health groups have notified a federal judge that they intend to appeal a ruling that allowed cigarette makers to avoid major financial penalties in the government's racketeering case.

The groups, including the Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association and American Lung Association, filed notice on Thursday that they intend to appeal the August 17 ruling.

The sanctions imposed by the court fell short of the remedies recommended by the public health groups, which among other things would have forced the industry to fund a $4.8 billion-a-year, nationwide anti-smoking program.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler found tobacco companies engaged in a decades-long conspiracy to hide the dangers of smoking.

Kessler imposed some remedies, including ordering the companies to make "corrective" public statements about the health effects and the addictive nature of smoking, and banning them from describing cigarettes in ways that convey health claims such as "low tar" and "light."

Kessler said a previous ruling, by a federal appeals court, barred her from imposing stricter actions sought by the health groups and the U.S. Justice Department.

The department, which asked the court to fund a less-expensive quit-smoking program, notified the court last month that it planned to appeal the ruling.

The cigarette makers are appealing the ruling as well and last month the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia agreed to put Kessler's remedies on hold while the companies' appeal is pending.

Targeted in the 1999 lawsuit were Altria Group Inc. and its Philip Morris USA unit; Loews Corp.'s Lorillard Tobacco unit, which has a tracking stock, Carolina Group; Vector Group Ltd.'s Liggett Group; Reynolds American Inc.'s R.J. Reynolds Tobacco unit and British American Tobacco Plc unit British American Tobacco Investments Ltd.

Kessler exempted Liggett from the remedies because she found it withdrew from the conspiracy in the mid 1990s.

Reuters, 0 Nov. 2006
http://tinyurl.com/y34yv8


Quebec, Canada: Bar owners protest against smoking ban

With cigarettes in hand, hundreds of bar owners from across the province marched outside the Montreal court house Monday morning, claiming a smoking ban is destroying their business.

"Even lepers had their caves," read one placard. "Tobacco control is out of control," read another.

Peter Sergakis, Montreal bar owner and president of the Union des tenanciers des bars du Quebec, said the consequences of the law that banned smoking in bars and restaurants May 31, have been "catastrophic" on business.

"It's also a recipe for all kinds of illnesses like pneumonia," he said, yelling to be heard over the raucous music on St. Antoine St. W. "Customers have to go outside to smoke and the weather is freezing.

"I've seen them outside in the rain and they look like criminals standing there, and they feel like criminals."

Meanwhile in an overflowing courtroom, Quebec Superior Court Justice Hélène LeBel heard arguments Monday as to why the law should be suspended in time for the holidays.

Julius Grey said the injunction should be granted to prevent bars from closing down before the Supreme Court of Canada hears their case challenging the constitutionality of Quebec's anti-smoking law.

Sergakis maintains 75 per cent of Quebec's 8,000 bars have already suffered since Quebec banned smoking in bars and restaurants May 31. He estimates 10 have already closed, and another 10 are on the brink.

But members of the Non-Smokers' Rights Association in Montreal say public health has to take priority over economic benefits.

"If you look at the data for sales in bars, it's not as alarming as they claim it is," said François Damphousse.

He said that while there may be an initial drop in business, over the long term, business picks up as more people quit smoking and non-smokers come out to bars.

That's what has happened in other parts of the country where a smoking ban took effect before Quebec's ban, he said.

Nine of 13 provinces and territories have legislation banning smoking in bars and restaurants.

Montreal Gazette, 13 November 2006
http://www.canada.com/topics/finance/story.html?id=10595b79-7fd8-446e-8515-e8e09301c44c&k=33240

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