Cancer can be caught – Focus

What’s sixth malignant tumor arises as a result of infection. Carcinogenic viruses, bacteria and parasites are for people almost as dangerous as smoking cigarettes – alert oncologists.

Although Cancer is often described as an epidemic of the twentieth or twenty-first century, in itself it is not a contagious disease. “Sometimes, if someone organ-transplant containing cancer cells, is the recipient developing cancer. But these are very rare cases. Similarly to the situation when the tumor is transferred from mother to fetus. But even then you can not say that we are dealing with an infection, because they do not spread it to another person “- explains Professor. Peter Hake, head of the Research Centre for Translational and Molecular Biology Cancer Center Oncology them. Maria Sklodowska-Curie University in Gliwice.

Increasingly, however, scientists are discovering infections, which contribute to the formation of cancer. Some of them know a long time, other researchers surprise. Oncologists say that as much as 18 percent. of all cancer cases are due to infection with carcinogenic viruses, bacteria and parasites. And in most cases these are infections that could have been avoided.

Microbes are today considered to be the second – after smoking cigarettes – the most important factor increasing the risk of developing cancer. Like tobacco smoke, more often than not they are the only “guilty”. “Come into play other factors, notably genetic. However, in case there are more possibilities of infection activity. Preventing them or curing them, reduce the risk of cancer “- explains Professor. Lycopodium.

 

Devil with cancer

 
 

In humans are not known cancers that can spontaneously spread from one person to another. There are, however, in animals. An example is the Tasmanian devil cancer snout “- said prof. Peter Hake Cancer Center Institute for them. Maria Sklodowska-Curie University in Gliwice. The first case of the disease described in the mid 90s of last century. Since then, it kills more Tasmanian devil – the animals included in marsupials, as such. Kangaroos. Tumor first appears on the face and then spreads to the entire body. Its growth may cause the animal will not be able to eat and die of hunger. Devils often bite, especially during mating, and the cancer cells spread to more individuals. What’s worse, these animals are very similar in terms of genetic. Their immune systems do not fight “foreign” cells, so it is possible infection cancer.

 
 

Another well-known science cancer is contagious canine venereal tumor (CTVT), also called Kaposi diseases. It develops on the genitals, and another animals ‘jumps’ during copulation.

 

The condom does not always protect

The latest entry in the “contagious” cancer is cancer of the prostate. Until recently it was believed that favor his old age, genes and unhealthy diet. A few years ago appeared another suspect – Trichomonas vaginalis. This single-celled protozoan parasite belongs to (or more precisely – Protista animal) causes trichomoniasis. This is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases. Symptoms include burning in the urethra and vaginal discharge. It turned out, however, that trichomonads do something else – to produce a specific protein, which accelerates the development of prostate cancer and increases its invasiveness.