Source: guardianlv.com
Author: Lindsey Alexander

A recent report came out from the journal Cancer indicating a new finding that anti-seizure medications might prevent some forms of cancer. Drugs like valporic acid (Depakote), are one form of prescription in this classification. Though also used as a mood-stabilizer, Depakote can prevent seizures from occurring, and has been investigated for cancer prevention.

These particular anti-seizure medications have been found to inhibit genetic changes that lead to cancer of the head and neck. The study included nearly 440,000 veterans, including 27,000 who were taking valporic acid for various disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, seizures, and migraines. The overall findings suggested that veterans who were on the prescription were 34 percent less likely to develop cancers of the head and neck, than those who were not taking the drug.

The risk decreased in those subjects who took higher doses or for longer periods of time.

Dr. Johann Brandes with Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center was the team leader of this study. He claims that this 34 percent statistic means 16,000 new cases, and between 3,000 and 4,000 cancer deaths can be prevented every year. Though there is a strong association, the study did not form a direct cause-and-effect relationship between cancer prevention and anti-seizure medications.

The National Cancer Institute describes cancers of the neck and head as usually squamous cell cancers that line mucosal surfaces inside the head and neck. This can affect the mouth, the throat, and the nose. This is a carcinoma that can begin in the salivary glands, and can contain many different types of cells that can in turn also become cancerous.

Valporic acid was found not to have any impact on lung, bladder, prostate, or colon cancers.

The Mayo Clinic currently says there is no proven way to prevent throat cancer. A person can restrict the amount of alcohol consumed, avoid smoking, chose a healthy diet to stick to (which includes plentiful amounts of fruits and vegetables), and protect against the human papilloma virus (HPV). Even though the HPV vaccine is recommended by the Mayo Clinic, other sources warn against the shot.

Christina England from Vactruth claims 140 people as of 2013 were lost due to the HPV vaccine, commonly referred to as Gardasil. Statistics from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) listed many more side-effects than deaths, however. In 2013, the VAERS recorded nearly 1,000 people physically disabled, 10,000 people made a visit to the ER, and 3,000 were hospitalized among many others severe, and sometimes life-threatening side-effects.

The American Academy of Otolaryngology mentions three people in history who suffered from either oral, head, or neck cancer.

Babe Ruth, born in 1895, played for the National Baseball League and held a record of 60 home runs in one season. He was diagnosed just before retirement with nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which metastasized and later killed him.

Ulysses S. Grant was a Civil War leader and the 18th President of the United States. He came down with a cancer of the right tonsillar pillar, which was at the base of the tongue. This was referred to as a malignant squamous epithelioma. His death was referred to a slow and painful illness.

Today, however, he could have been treated and perhaps saved with inventions such as the aspiration pump, radiotherapy, surgery, and even a tracheotomy.

Sigmund Freud was also a victim of cancer. Freud was an Austrian psychoanalytic psychologist. He suffered from multiple health disorders and smoked heavily. He had cancer in the jaw, and was diagnosed at the age of 67. Treatment continued for 16 years, and he underwent many surgeries–one of which included the merging of the nasal cavity and the mouth. He died in 1939 from heart failure, cancer, and morphine overdose.

Researchers in medicine are discovering new ways of preventing cancer, and treating cancer, ranging many disciplines. Recent findings suggest future studies are necessary to determine a more substantial link between cancer prevention and anti-seizure medications. However, people are now able to consider yet another preventative measure that might prove helpful.