Can I still eat with my family if
I have lung cancer? Will daily life spread to your family? The person in charge tells you that lung cancer is not contagious.
Nature and characteristics
of
lung cancer
Lung cancer is a malignant tumor originating from the bronchial mucosa and glands of the lungs. There are many common causes of lung cancer in clinic. First, smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer. Tobacco contains a large number of chemicals, which can stimulate the body and lead to cell mutation. According to statistics, about 85% of lung cancer patients have a history of smoking, one pack a day. People who have smoked for 20 to 30 years have a significantly increased risk of disease. Secondly, occupational exposure is also an important factor, such as exposure to coal tar, asbestos, formaldehyde and other carcinogenic factors in the chemical industry, which may cause lung cancer. Moreover, air pollution, including industrial exhaust, automobile exhaust and cooking fumes, is a risk factor for lung cancer. In addition, ionizing radiation, heredity and genes are also related to the occurrence of lung cancer. There is evidence that relatives with a family history of lung cancer before the age of about 60 have an increased risk of lung cancer.
Lung cancer is not an infectious disease, it is a disease caused by gene mutation. The canceration of cells in lung cancer patients can not survive in vitro, and there is no problem of infection. Unlike infectious diseases, infectious diseases are spread by foreign pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses, after invading the human body. Lung cancer is a disease caused by mutation and mutation of human internal cells, uncontrolled growth and metastasis. Although lung cancer has a certain family genetic tendency, it does not mean that it will spread among family members like an infectious disease. People with a family history of early lung cancer only have an increased risk of lung cancer, not necessarily lung cancer.
2. Why
lung cancer is not infectious
(1) Lack of source
of infection
Lung cancer is not usually caused by pathogens such as viruses or bacteria. The main causes of lung cancer are smoking, occupational exposure, air pollution, ionizing radiation, diet and physical activity, genetic factors, etc. Unlike infectious diseases, infectious diseases are caused by specific pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, rickettsiae, spirochetes, parasites, etc. These pathogens multiply in the human body and can be transmitted from person to person, from animal to animal, or from person to animal, thus becoming the source of infection. Lung cancer is a primary malignant tumor originating from bronchial mucosal epithelium, which is a disease caused by uncontrolled growth and metastasis of human internal cells due to gene mutation and variation, and there is no source of infection that can be transmitted to others.
(2) The route of transmission is not established
.
Even if lung cancer patients cough up sputum containing cancer cells, these cancer cells are difficult to survive outside the body. Scientific experiments have shown that it is difficult to find a suitable living environment after separating cancer cells from sputum, and cancer cells will soon die in vitro. Moreover, lung cancer itself is not infectious, and it is wrong to say that it is mainly transmitted by tiny particles in the air. Most infectious diseases are transmitted through respiratory droplets, but cancer cells are not transmitted to other people in the same way as bacteria or viruses. Even if someone else inhales the droplets coughed up by a lung cancer patient, the cancer cells will not survive in other people’s bodies.
(3) Susceptible population does not exist
Because lung cancer lacks the source of infection and the route of transmission is not established, there is no susceptible population. Infectious diseases must have three conditions: the source of infection, the appropriate route of transmission and the susceptible population, all of which are indispensable, and no infection will occur without any link. Lung cancer does not meet these three conditions, so lung cancer is not infectious. Although lung cancer has a certain family genetic tendency, it does not mean that it will spread among family members like an infectious disease. Individual cases of familial aggregation may be due to common living environment, genetic factors and other factors leading to increased risk of lung cancer in family members, rather than because of infection. People with a family history of early lung cancer only have an increased risk of lung cancer, not necessarily lung cancer.
3. Although lung cancer is not contagious, the risk of family members is slightly higher
. Although
lung cancer is not infectious, it has a certain genetic tendency. Studies have shown that people with a family history of lung cancer are twice as likely to develop lung cancer as normal people. In the same environment, women have a higher risk of cancer than men. This may be due to external factors such as smoking, viral infection, occupational exposure and ionizing radiation, which induce malignant transformation of cells and irreversible gene mutations, leading to lung cancer.
Family genetic factors play an important role in the development of lung cancer. If there are lung cancer patients in the family, especially immediate relatives, the risk of children suffering from lung cancer will increase. At present, it is believed that the familial inheritance of lung cancer may be caused by chromosomal aberrations. Each cell in the normal human body has 46 chromosomes. Various carcinogenic factors can cause chromosomal aberrations, which are different from normal cells in number and morphology. Such chromosomal aberrations are sometimes passed on to future generations, making the next generation have the possibility of lung cancer. This possibility only increases genetic susceptibility.
People
with a family history of early lung cancer are at high risk. They have an increased risk of lung cancer, but not necessarily lung cancer. For such people, it is recommended to have regular lung examination every year in order to detect the pathological changes in time, early diagnosis, early treatment and effective control of the disease. In daily life, we should pay attention to quitting smoking and keeping away from carcinogens, such as going out less in haze weather, avoiding exposure to carcinogens such as asbestos and tar, healthy diet and moderate exercise.
In conclusion, although lung cancer is not transmitted to family members, people with family history have a relatively high risk of lung cancer. Therefore, these people should pay more attention to lung health and take active preventive measure to reduce the risk of lung cancer.
4. Precautions
for getting along with lung cancer patients
(1) There is no need to worry too much about contagion
. It is very clear that
lung cancer is not an infectious disease. Family members do not need to pay special attention to daily activities such as living, eating and chatting with lung cancer patients. Whether they live together under the same roof or eat together, they will not get lung cancer because of contact with lung cancer patients. Living with lung cancer patients, family members can give care and support to patients as usual, without deliberately keeping a distance for fear of infection.
(2) Be alert to patients with infectious diseases. Lung cancer patients usually have reduced immunity due to their physical condition and treatment. This makes them more prone to respiratory infectious diseases, such as bacterial pneumonia and fungal infections. If a lung cancer patient has these infectious diseases at the same time, it is possible to transmit them to family members. Therefore, when lung cancer patients have cough, sputum, fever and other symptoms, they should seek medical treatment in time to identify the cause. If it is an infectious disease, it should be treated according to the doctor’s advice, and family members should also pay attention to protection to avoid being infected.
For example, when lung cancer patients are complicated with bacterial pneumonia, they may have cough, purulent sputum, fever and other symptoms. In this case, patients should be treated with antibiotics in time, while family members can wear masks, wash hands frequently and keep indoor ventilation when contacting patients. If the patient has a fungal infection, such as Candida albicans, the sputum may be white, sticky and stringy. At this time, patients need to be treated with antifungal drugs, and family members should also pay attention to avoiding contact with secretion such as sputum.
In short, to get along with lung cancer patients, family members should not only give patients enough care and support, but also be alert to the possible infectious diseases of patients, do a good job of protective measures to ensure the health of family members.
Lung cancer
