#20102 04-04-2006 01:26 AM | Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 3 Member | OP  Member
Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 3 | Is cancer contageous? My husband had SQC at base of his tongue two years ago and was successfully treated. Now I have the same SQC at base of my tongue, but mine has also spread to my right neck lymph nodes. I have been a smoker for many years and assume mine is from smoking, but my husband is not a smoker. Can one catch such a cancer from another persons body fluids, such as saliva, etc? The Doctors say cancer is not contageous, but we are beginning to wonder. Your comments are appreciated. | | |
#20103 04-04-2006 04:29 AM | Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 60 Supporting Member (50+ posts) | | Supporting Member (50+ posts)
Joined: Mar 2006 Posts: 60 | Cancer is not contageous. It can be genetic, but you can not "catch" it. There are other causes besides smoking. I wish you and your husband the best of luck and any support needed.
Delia- Caregiver and fiancee to Charlie ,age 30,(SCC of Larnyx-Stage IV) chemotherapy and radiation- no surgery finished tx:4/7/06 SURVIVIOR!
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#20104 04-04-2006 08:13 AM | Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,552 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,552 | Linda, That is a very good question - technically it is not, but more and more they are finding viruses that can have more than casual links to cancer such as HPV and EBV. With viruses there usually has to be constant exposure (usually to a fairly high viral loading), over a period of time, for the virus to get past the immune system. While tumors are present in the body, they cast 1000's of cancer cells into the blood every day, could there be a blood contact link, such as Hepatitus? I don't have the answer to that. A healthy immune system will usually recognize and destroy these cells. Your situation is probably purely coincidental, unless your husband was exposed to second hand cigarette smoke then it could possibly have be a factor in his cancer. Your cancer, statistically anyway, was probably due to your smoking. I am sure that Brian will expound on this very interesting question.
Gary Allsebrook
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Dx 11/22/02, SCC, 6 x 3 cm Polypoid tumor, rt tonsil, Stage III/IVA, T3N0M0 G1/2
Tx 1/28/03 - 3/19/03, Cisplatin ct x2, IMRT, bilateral, with boost, x35(69.96Gy)
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"You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14 NIV)
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#20105 04-04-2006 01:56 PM | Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 4,912 Likes: 52 OCF Founder Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | OCF Founder Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 4,912 Likes: 52 | Gary is very correct. Rather than go into a long dialog on the possibilities of why this occured (the first incident that I have heard of in 5 years, and something that after calls to members of OCF's science board reveal as extremely rare) I would like you to read this article on the OCF oral cancer in the news section. http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/news/story.asp?newsId=1117
Brian, stage 4 oral cancer survivor. OCF Founder and Director. The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.
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