Let’s say, for instance, someone with lung cancer coughs, and a few cancer cells are present in the aerosol, and is breathed in. Or, if someone has a cut, and lives with a family member who has cancer, and cancer cells end up in the cut.
Cancer cells are a bit like HIV in that they evade the immune system by releasing some chemical to trick it. Hence why in an infamous unethical experiment after the war, people injected with another person’s cancer developed cancer. So even if it is another person’s cancer cells, the cancer will metastasize in the body.
This would make cancer the most overlooked infectious pandemic in all of human history.
28 Comments
Snailpope@lemmy.world · 25 pts · 17h
Cancer is not contagious
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/understanding-cancer-risk/is-cancer-contagious.html
cbthunderhead@lemmy.cafe · -18 pts · 17h
You might want to tell that to the experiment subjects who developed cancer after being injected with it, then, proving that cancer will take hold in a person if those cells end up in their body, just like if you’re injected with a live virus, it will try to take hold in the person's body.
Snailpope@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 16h
You brought up coughing or blood transference both of which have shown not to transfer cancer. You would understand this if you actually read the article
cbthunderhead@lemmy.cafe · -11 pts · 16h
You say that like it wouldn’t be considered unethical to prove it by today’s standards. The shower thought is that could it be this is at least part of the reason why cancer rates are increasing.
chewypoops@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 16h
It wasn't considered ethical in Southam's day either. He was found guilty of fraud, deceit, and unprofessional conduct related to the experiment you're citing.
Those experiments didn't prove anything. There is a 0.00% chance that cancer rates are increasing because cancer is actually airborne and contagious. It's not just stupid for you to be saying something like that, it's irresponsible.
db2@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 16h
A few decades ago op would be going on about how they're so sure that aids can be contracted from a toilet seat. That nonsense badly set back research.
Snailpope@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 16h
This kind of disinformation can cause discrimination against those battling cancer and cancer survivors.
The likely cause if increased cancer rate is the increased consumption of ultra processed foods.
https://www.aicr.org/resources/blog/ultra-processed-foods-and-cancer-whats-the-connection/
village604@adultswim.fan · 5 pts · 14h
And better detection methods.
Snailpope@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 14h
Very true!
JadenSmith@sh.itjust.works · 10 pts · 16h
Could you provide a link to a source of this information?
cbthunderhead@lemmy.cafe · -17 pts · 16h
Look into the Southam cancer experiments.
chewypoops@lemmy.world · 26 pts · 16h
Chester Southam injected live cancer cells into people who already had cancer to see if their immune systems would respond a certain way. His experiments do not in any way prove that cancer can be spread between people. His subjects had cancer before he injected them.
What Southam is mostly known for is being an immoral quack who experimented on people without their consent. He was convicted of multiple crimes related to the cruel human experiments you seem to admire for some reason.
Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 15h
Thanks for shutting the conspiracy theorist up in every comment chain :)
chewypoops@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 15h
Someone's gotta do it. 😅
daannii@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 11h
Humans reject other tissue from other humans. It's seen as foreign. It's why transplant recipients have to take drugs to suppress their immune system.
Also here is what cancer is:
It's human cells that have mutated that now grow incorrectly (too fast or erratic). Or Human cells growing in the wrong place in the body. Or a combination of the two.
They mutate for a number of reasons but they are that person's cells. Have their dna.
There are many factors that can make the wrong cell type grow in a different area. Usually chronic prolonged damage causes this.
But That's why the body can't get rid of them. They are part of you. They aren't foreign.
This is also why they aren't contagious. Cancer is a product of the individual's cells not growing how they should.
Not someone else's cells taking over. Not a virus. Although some viruses and bacteria infections increase the risk of cancer developing. Like hpv. And h.pylori.
chewypoops@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 16h
I know that the bar is pretty low for a shower thought, but this is irresponsibly misinformed. There is only one known form of contagious cancer, and it only affects a single species of fish in one lake.
Confidently stating that cancer is contagious between humans, in my books, is spreading medical misinformation.
blimthepixie@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 11 pts · 16h
This is the person who was banging on and on about chavs and canal deaths so just ignore
village604@adultswim.fan · 3 pts · 14h
I would somewhat consider HPV to be a contagious carcinogen at least.
cbthunderhead@lemmy.cafe · -18 pts · 16h
Look into the Southam experiments. It was unethical even for its time, but people were injected with cancer cells from another person without their consent and subsequently developed cancer.
chewypoops@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 16h
Chester Southam injected live cancer cells into people who already had cancer to see if their immune systems would respond a certain way. His experiments do not in any way prove that cancer can be spread between people. His subjects had cancer before he injected them.
What Southam is mostly known for is being an immoral quack who experimented on people without their consent. He was convicted of multiple crimes related to the cruel human experiments you seem to admire for some reason.
trxxruraxvr@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 17h
No they don't. Unless it's their own mutated cells, their body will recognize them as foreign and kill the cells before they can do much harm.
cbthunderhead@lemmy.cafe · -20 pts · 16h
The Southam experiments proved otherwise.
chewypoops@lemmy.world · 23 pts · 16h
Chester Southam injected live cancer cells into people who already had cancer to see if their immune systems would respond a certain way. His experiments do not in any way prove that cancer can be spread between people. His subjects had cancer before he injected them.
What Southam is mostly known for is being an immoral quack who experimented on people without their consent. He was convicted of multiple crimes related to the cruel human experiments you seem to admire for some reason.
trxxruraxvr@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 13h
They did not
Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 14h
Just for future reference: A question mark at the end of sentence means you do not know the answer and are requesting information from others.
It's not supposed to be used as an invitation to argue with everyone who says something you don't want to hear.
DeathsEmbrace@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 15h
Actually this is an amazing thought because its similar to a liver transplant so the body would treat it as a foreign invader. Other peoples cancer cells are treated as healthy cells to themselves but to everyone else its just a foreign cell to be killed.
Archer@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 9h
OP keeps saying “look into the…” and not citing specific sources. Red flag
Admetus@sopuli.xyz · 1 pts · 13h
Superb, superb, I am entertained.