When I was a child, I lived in a large courtyard house. A retired worker from the same street often came to my courtyard to chat with my grandfather. In summer, he was tall and stripped to the waist and could see the scars left by the operation on his central abdomen. His voice was loud and eloquent when he chatted, and he could be heard in the backyard.
Suddenly one day, I heard that he had esophageal cancer. I was in my teens and had an inexplicable uneasiness, because I knew that many diseases could be contagious. He often came, could he infect us? I don’t know if readers have doubts in this respect. Today, I want to tell readers that there is no evidence to prove that cancer can be transmitted to others through close contact such as kissing, having sex and eating together.
1. Cancer is not transmitted through ordinary human contact
Cancer is not transmitted through breathing. Will pregnant women transmit cancer to their fetuses? Some cancers spread to the placenta, But most cases do not spread to the fetus, So far, only melanoma has been reported to be transmitted to the fetus. Sometimes, You will see this phenomenon, There are two identical cancer patients in a family, This is actually because they or they share the same oncogene or living environment. For example, Mom has breast cancer, And her daughter also got breast cancer because she got BRCA1 gene from her mother, This can also happen among sisters in the same family. In addition, The same bad living and eating habits, Or exposure to the same carcinogenic factors, Will use multiple cancer patients in the same family. Some cancer villages, It is because of serious environmental pollution. Therefore, When one of your friends or relatives has cancer, Just get along with them as before, Don ‘t be afraid to visit that patient’ s home or ward, There is no need to be afraid of physical contact such as shaking hands and hugging. You should know that patients need your care and support especially at this time. When people are diagnosed with cancer, they are often more sensitive. Don’t let them feel helpless. On the contrary, if you are a cancer patient, you should also contact relatives and colleagues with confidence, because cancer is not contagious.
2. Viral infection caused by sexual contact may lead to cancer.
For example, HIV-induced AIDS can lead to cancer due to low cellular immune function, chronic infection of Human Papillomavirus can lead to cervical cancer, in addition, chronic viral hepatitis is the main cause of liver cancer, while human T lymphocyte type I virus can cause leukemia.
Is there any cancer infection among animals?
However, direct transmission of cancer still exists in animals. There are three kinds known now.
Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease
Tasmanian devil facial tumor disease (Devil Facial Tumour Disease) is a kind of directly transmitted cancer, mainly through biting each other and sharing food. It started with lesions and lumps around the mouth, then developed into cancerous tumors, and then spread to the whole body, leading to various organ failure and death.
The 18-month death rate of Tasmanian devils is 100%. The cancer was discovered in Australia in 1996. Due to the prevalence of Tasmanian devils, the number of this animal has decreased by 50% in Tasmania, Australia.
Canine infectious venereal disease tumor
There is also Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumor, which is transmitted through mating.
The cancer was discovered by Russian veterinarian Navisky in 1876. In male dogs, the tumor affects the penis or foreskin. In female dogs, tumors grow in vagina or labia.
This kind of tumor is very sensitive to vincristine, vinblastine sulfate and adriamycin chemotherapy and can often be cured.
Infectious reticular cell sarcoma
The third is infectious reticulum cell sarcoma. This sarcoma can be transmitted to each other in Syrian hamsters and spread through mosquito bites. This story was detailed in the journal Science on May 28, 1965. It is really a small mosquito that is fierce and invincible.
4. Summary
Is cancer contagious? No one can; In animals, there are really!
Author: Tao Jeff