Is Cancer Contagious?
This article is published on https://medium.com/@aarizhussain/is-cancer-contagious-f7596049ea88
Short answer — No. Cancer is not contagious. It doesn’t spread like usual infectious diseases.¹ However, there are some misconceptions or rare instances when people assume that some cancers can transmit from human to human. Let’s talk about those cases and bust some myths along the way!
Does Cancer Run In Families?
Scientists have found a strong connection between cancer and genes. Some kinds of cancers may be common among family members. The genes that can promote certain cancers are called Oncogenes.² These Oncogenes run through the families. A person with an oncogene has a higher chance of getting cancer.
Remember when Angelina Jolie went through a total mastectomy in 2013? That was because she had an oncogene that increased the risk of fatal breast cancer. After that, hundreds of people went through this procedure when they found out that they had an oncogene affecting their breasts.³
Can Cancer Be Transferred During Organ Transplant?
If a single cancer cell of patient A is injected into patient B, nothing significant will happen to patient B. The immune response of patient B will recognize the cancerous cell as a foreign body and destroy it.
However, things get a little complicated when patient B is on immunosuppressants. Because of the immunosuppressants, the body’s immune response is weak. If a cancerous cell is injected in this stage, there is a high possibility that the body will fail to recognize and attack the foreign body on time. This is why the patients on immunosuppressants are placed under high care, so a toxic foreign body doesn't attack them.
Organ transplant receivers are on immunosuppressants as a part of the standardized protocol.⁴ Hypothetically, if a cancerous cell slips through the screening and enters the body of the immunosuppressed patient, it may cause cancer. However, this is a highly hypothetical scenario. The blood is screened for abnormalities, and the organ is examined for abnormal findings. It is unlikely for the tumor to slip through all these cases.⁵
Cancer During Pregnancy
When the pregnant patient is diagnosed with cancer, it usually doesn't spread to the baby. The only way it can reach the baby is when cancer has spread to the placenta. Even if it reaches the baby somehow, the baby still has its immune response to fight against the foreign body and kill it. Hence, this is a more unlikely scenario.⁶ I could only find 4 cases reported till today in which the cancer was spread from mother to baby through the placental route.
Bottom Line — Don't Avoid People With Cancer
People feel like the word “Cancer” is already a death sentence. Imagine how the patient may feel when the doctor reveals that they found malignant tumors in their scans. They can be confused, shocked, and even depressed.⁷ The patient needs moral and physical support from their friends and family during this challenging time. Avoiding the patient when they are sick and battling cancer is ridiculous, especially when the disease cannot spread.
If your family or friend is battling cancer, be with them. Support them through their journey. Motivate them to fight the challenge as you are beside them. It can be overwhelming for you, too, to see your loved one suffering. But the best part is that you should know that you all will get through it — together. Studies show better outcomes when the patient is not highly stressed or anxious during their journey.⁸
Remember, Cancer is not always a death sentence!
References
1. Lord AC, Knijn N, Brown G, Nagtegaal ID. Pathways of spread in rectal cancer: a reappraisal of the true routes to distant metastatic disease. European Journal of Cancer. 2020 Mar;128:1–6.
2. Bashyam MD, Animireddy S, Bala P, Naz A, George SA. The Yin and Yang of cancer genes. Gene. 2019 Jul;704:121–33.
3. Basu NN, Hodson J, Chatterjee S, Gandhi A, Wisely J, Harvey J, et al. The Angelina Jolie effect: Contralateral risk-reducing mastectomy trends in patients at increased risk of breast cancer. Scientific Reports. 2021 Feb 2;11(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82654-x
4. Di Maira T, Little EC, Berenguer M. Immunosuppression in liver transplant. Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology. 2020 Jun;46–47:101681.
5. Al‐Adra DP, Hammel L, Roberts J, Woodle ES, Levine D, Mandelbrot D, et al. Pretransplant solid organ malignancy and organ transplant candidacy: A consensus expert opinion statement. American Journal of Transplantation. 2020 Oct 23;21(2):460–74.
6. Arakawa A, Ichikawa H, Kubo T, Motoi N, Kumamoto T, Nakajima M, et al. Vaginal Transmission of Cancer from Mothers with Cervical Cancer to Infants. New England Journal of Medicine. 2021 Jan 7;384(1):42–50. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33406329/
7. Lewandowska A, Rudzki G, Lewandowski T, Próchnicki M, Rudzki S, Laskowska B, et al. Quality of life of cancer patients treated with chemotherapy. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020 Sep 23;17(19):6938.
8. Leppert W, Zdun-Ryzewska A, Forycka M, Mess E, Majkowicz M. Quality of life assessment in advanced cancer patients treated at home, an inpatient unit, and a day care center. OncoTargets and Therapy. 2014 May;687.
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