2023-05-01 02:50:46
Many diseases are transmissible from person to person. But does this also apply to cancer cells? And are there other pathogens that increase the risk of developing cancer? An overview.
Bremen – The corona pandemic has burned it into the consciousness of many people: Under certain circumstances, our fellow human beings can pose a risk of illness. And many other diseases can also be transmitted from person to person or from animal to person. Either viruses, parasites or bacteria are involved. According to the Robert Koch Institute, these are so-called infectious diseases. But what regarding cancer? Is there also a risk of infection from those affected?
Can cancer be transmitted through human-to-human contact?
No, explains the Cancer Information Service German Cancer Society. Contact with cancer patients is completely harmless, because the disease itself is not transmissible. However, there are certain transmissible pathogens that can cause cancer. However, tumor cells themselves do not behave like pathogens and are therefore not infectious. Cancerous tumors develop in the body’s own cells. They don’t invade from the outside.
Even if live cancer cells from a sick person get on the skin, in the mouth or in the bloodstream of a healthy person, the risk of developing the disease is extremely low. Even with very intimate contact, cancer patients don’t pose any risk like they do DKG emphasizes that the immune system is specialized in recognizing and destroying foreign cells. Cancer cells are also not excreted, so there is no need to worry regarding being infected through contact in public spaces or shared toilets.
Cancer contagious: In the animal kingdom, contagion with cancer is possible through direct contact
In the animal kingdom, however, it is different. Direct transmissions of cancer diseases have been observed here. For example, through bites from rival Tasmanian devils, which are often affected by facial tumours. The cancer cells are “implanted” from the mouth of the diseased animal directly into the tissue of the rival, which is why the previously healthy animal can also develop tumors, writes doctor Marisa Kurz in the science magazine spectrum. A certain type of cancer, which affects the external genital organs, can also be transmitted among dogs through licking or sexual intercourse – presumably via the smallest wounds. However, the beloved pets do not pose any danger to humans.
Open tumor contagious? Transmission has occurred in a few cases – contact with cancer patients is risk-free
This concern is also misplaced when it comes to contact with people. Only in extremely rare cases has cancer been transmitted from person to person, explains Kurz. As examples, she cites two cases of infants who “inhaled” cervical cancer cells from the birthing woman at birth. At that time, the newborn’s immune system was still too weak to switch off these cells. They then developed lung tumors. Or the cases of a laboratory worker and a surgeon who injured themselves on medical instruments to which tumor cells had adhered. Cancerous growths later developed at the site of the injury.
Cancer cells cannot be transmitted from person to person. However, certain contagious pathogens increase the risk of cancer.
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Some human-to-human pathogens, as well as parasites and bacteria, can cause cancer
However, as already mentioned, these cases of cancer being transmissible are extremely rare and can also be traced back to a clear trigger. The vast majority of people should not be exposed to such risks in their everyday lives. In fact, there are a number of transmissible pathogens that can promote the development of cancer, with which there is a certain probability that one might come into contact with them.
Here, too, it should be emphasized once once more: the pathogens are contagious, not the cancer itself. Statistically, only a fraction of those infected develop a tumor. According to the Robert Koch Institute, around 16 percent of all cancers worldwide can be traced back to infections.
Is cancer contagious? Infection with the sexually transmitted HPV can cause cancer
Which pathogens are involved? One of the most important, since it is widespread, is the human papilloma virus (HPV). It accounts for half of all infection-related cancers and is primarily transmitted through unprotected sexual contact. Infection can lead to cancer of the cervix, vagina, penis, anus, and throat. Both men and women can carry the virus and pass it on to others. In fact, cervical cancer is almost 100 percent caused by HPV, as Kurz in spectrum reported.
She also points out that it is estimated that 80 percent of people will become infected with the pathogen during their lifetime. These diseases would be preventable. For one thing, you can get vaccinated once morest HPV – even into adulthood. This applies to both women and men. On the other hand, you should ensure sufficient protection once morest infection in the event of sexual contact.
Infection with certain hepatitis pathogens can result in cancer
This also applies to the hepatitis B virus, which also belongs to the sexually transmitted pathogens. It can cause chronic liver inflammation, which in rare cases causes cancer. However, you can also get vaccinated once morest the pathogen. The hepatitis C virus can cause liver inflammation and, as a result, liver cancer. The disease can now be cured with medication.
Some members of the Epstein-Barr virus, which belongs to the herpesvirus family and is transmitted through saliva, can also cause cancer. More than 90 percent of all people are infected with the pathogen in the course of their lives, and the infection usually goes unnoticed. In some cases, infected people develop what is known as glandular fever. In the long term, EBV can lead to cancers of the stomach, nasopharynx and lymph glands. The human herpes virus 8 can also promote the development of lymphomas in immunocompromised people.
Lymph gland cancer and stomach cancer can be caused by herpes viruses
Since the immune system plays a major role in the development of cancer, malignant tumors in the cervix and in the lymphatic system can also occur if the immune system is weakened by the HI virus. The so-called Kaposi’s sarcoma can also occur more frequently in immunocompromised people. It is a rare form of skin cancer.
Bacteria and parasites can also be involved in carcinogenesis, such as the relatively widespread bacterium Helicobacter pylori. A feeling of fullness, pain in the upper abdomen or nausea can indicate an infection, which can, however, be treated well with antibiotics. There is no vaccination once morest it. The bacterium can cause inflammation of the stomach lining, but it is also linked to stomach cancer and a certain type of lymph gland cancer.
Risk factors such as smoking or alcohol play a much greater role than “cancer viruses”
Bladder cancer can be triggered by a parasitic infestation with a worm that occurs primarily in tropical regions, a so-called schistosomiasis (bilharzia). Another parasite, the worm native to Asia Opisthorchis viverrini, causes bile duct cancer. However, the risk of developing cancer this way is unlikely to play a role in everyday life for most people. On the other hand, the cancer risk emanating from HPV infections is much more relevant.
Vaccination and prudent behavior during sexual intercourse therefore make sense in many respects. In addition, you can reduce your individual risk of cancer through a healthy lifestyle with sufficient exercise and a balanced diet. Above all, you should avoid cigarettes and alcohol, since regular consumption increases the risk of developing particularly dangerous types of cancer.
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