Is cancer contagious?

Is cancer contagious, or does it spread to others? In many of the backward regions, where there is very limited access to healthcare, people usually do not know much about diseases, and most of the population has so many myths regarding some diseases, such as cancer.

It is a common question among family members or friends: Is the cancer contagious? Means that the person living or caring for a patient suffering from cancer catches the disease. So, the answer to this question is” NO”. Cancer is not contagious; it can not be transferred from one person to another. It is just a myth.

In some research, it is shown that oral cancer is contagious, with some evidence that surgeons performing procedures have developed oral cancer while treating or examining patients with oral cancer.

What is the impact of this myth on patient care?

If a person thinks that cancer is contagious, he /she will have a great fear of caring for the patient, and this can lead to interruption in patient care. The patient who is already depressed due to the disease burden will feel more depressed if the family members start to stay at a distance from the patient.

In which situations should you be careful in keeping a distance from the patient?

There are some situations in which a person suffering from cancer needs isolation, which means less contact with family and friends. Furthermore, this isolation is very important for the patient. These conditions are as follows.

Patient undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

• Patient with compromised immunity:
• Patient undergoing stem cell or bone marrow transplant
• The patient has suffered from any kind of infection:

There are some infections that need strict isolation, such as any kind of bacterial or fungal infection, which could be transferred to the health care provider or person caring for the patient. These infections are

VRE (vancomycin-resistant enterococcus: Is cancer contagious?

This kind of infection may develop in the blood or in the urine of the patient. In this case, if the healthcare provider or the family member does not take care of contact precautions, such as using gloves and gowns while attending to the patient, they may catch the infection. So, it is necessary to keep the patient in isolation, which means the patient should have a separate room and a toilet, to restrict the bacteria, and to prevent exposure to others, especially children, the elderly, or pregnant women. They must take special precautions while contacting the loved one.

C-diff (Clostridium difficile: Is cancer contagious?

This kind of infection occurs in the stools of the patient, and is very much contagious if not taking proper precautions, such as frequent hand washing after attending to the patient. In this type of infection, the patient must be kept in isolation or in a separate room to restrict the infection to other patients in a hospital setup or at home.

What are the symptoms of a C. diff infection?

The bacteria responsible for causing the infection live in the intestine of the host, and cause infection when they get a favorable environment or if the patient’s or host’s body becomes compromised due to compromised immunity after chemotherapy.

The following are the symptoms of c-diff infection

Greenish color watery stool

Abdominal cramps

What are the risk factors for c-diff infection?

What medication should be avoided if C-diff is positive?

If healthcare providers need to avoid medications to stop diarrhea, such as Imodium, giving medication to stop the diarrhea could cause abdominal distention by stopping the stool. As a result, the infection will colonize in the intestine and abdominal cavity. This results in severe abdominal distention and intestinal perforation and can even cause death if distention is not reversed.

What diet should be recommended for a C-diff positive patient?

A patient with positive C-diff should be given the following diet

• Simple boiled  white Rice
• Yogurt
• Banana
• Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS)

What diet should be avoided? Is cancer contagious?

In a patient with a C. diff infection, the diet should be restricted

• Milk and milk products such as milk tea, ice creams
• Fruits with fiber, such as oranges
• Avoid sugars
• Do not give vegetables, as they contain lots of fiber
• Do not give lettuce and green vegetables
• Avoid fruits such as grapes, which contain sugars as well as fiber.

In case diarrhea does not stop or improve, the patient should be monitored closely for further complications, such as severe dehydration, low blood pressure, and nutritional deficiencies.

 Furthermore, in severe cases, the patient’s oral intake should be restricted to give rest to the gut; instead, parental nutrition (nutrition through intravenous) should be started to fulfill the patient’s nutritional requirements.

What precautions should be taken to avoid C-diff? Is cancer contagious?

The following precautions will help in reducing infections.

• Proper hand hygiene, especially after attending the toilet.
• Keep the patient’s utensil separate
• Do not share the patient’s bed and clothes
• Use a separate  towel and napkins to dry hands

MRSA, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. (Is cancer contagious?)

This type of organism usually colonizes in the throat and nasal cavity of patients, and it can invade the bloodstream if the nasal mucosa is damaged. If the patient gets infected with MRSA, the isolation protocol must be strictly followed to prevent its transfer to other individuals at home or in the healthcare facility.

Tuberculosis (especially Pulmonary Tuberculosis) is contagious?

 Patients with compromised immunity are at a higher risk of getting or catching airborne infections such as influenza, pulmonary tuberculosis, etc. 

How to prevent patients from getting airborne infections?

Aerialborne infections are common in people living in poorly ventilated houses and in overcrowded places. There are higher chances for people with compromised immunity to get airborne diseases very easily if they do not take proper precautions, such as wearing a mask while going to crowded places.

Some skin diseases, such as scabies, are contagious.

Skin diseases are common in patients with compromised immunity, such as cancer patients. If the patient gets a skin infection such as scabies, the patient should be isolated, and immediate healthcare consultation should be done on an urgent basis.

What are the symptoms of scabies? Is cancer contagious?

Scabies is an infection of the skin, and the mite of scabies attacks and adheres to the skin very easily. The symptoms are itching in the folded skin areas, such as in between the fingers of hands and feet, in the axilla, in the genital area, and in the abdomen and under the breasts in females.

The patient should be kept isolated in a separate room; his clothes and towels must be kept separately to avoid transfer to other individuals at home. However, if any other family members get the infection, the patient should also keep away from the infected family member.

Eye infections such as viral conjunctivitis:

Eye infection is also very contagious and common in crowded places. If any individual at home suffers from an eye infection, the person should be kept isolated from others at home.

How to prevent viral conjunctivitis?

• Avoid touching and handshakes.
• Do not use the towels and other clothes of the infected person.
• Try to wear sunglasses.
• Keep yourself away from the job to prevent it from affecting others.

So, cancer is not contagious, but in some situations, the patient needs isolation for his/ her own safety, as well as others need some distance, which has been discussed above. However, do not isolate or avoid your loved ones in their cancer journey; be with them physically and emotionally. Do not let their confidence and willpower down.