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Doktor_Wunderbar t1_iv0wzs4 wrote

There are cases of transmissible cancers in animals, but these are mostly in highly bottlenecked populations with low genetic diversity (i.e., the cancer is less likely to seem foreign to a new host).

The few cases in humans involve a degree of immunosuppression.

So like the other poster said, it's not impossible, but it's pretty unlikely.

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Med_vs_Pretty_Huge t1_iv2cu0s wrote

How about cancer transmission from a tapewrom to a human to give you some nightmares?

https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa1505892

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PlaidBastard t1_iv2fs27 wrote

Man, I forgot about that one. Switching off the body's firewall settings sure does cause weird and awful things to happen sometimes...

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weeknie t1_iv5ao43 wrote

Turns out the firewall is there for a reason who knew! Xd it's always terrifying and fascinating when one of the many complicated and interwoven systems of our body breaks down. It's so cool to me how widespread the effects can be, even for seemingly minor changes (doesn't apply here but still)

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pissfucked t1_iv4kq1u wrote

the canid cancer that is the last living descendant of the north american dogs

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amaurea t1_iv504y1 wrote

>these are mostly in highly bottlenecked populations with low genetic diversity

Don't humans have remarkably low genetic diversity though? Especially outside of Africa.

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[deleted] t1_iv2fami wrote

[removed]

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IndirectHeat t1_iv2fxaj wrote

Cervical cancer is transmitted by a virus that transforms the human cells. The cancer itself isn't what's transmitted. The cancer-causing agent is transmitted.

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