Is Cancer Contagious

What is cancer? How do you get it? Is it contagious?. These are all good questions and ones that many of us, grown-ups and kids alike, have had at one time or another.

Is cancer a contagious disease? In the late nineteenth century this idea, and attending efforts to identify a cancer “germ,” inspired fear and ignited controversy. Yet speculation that cancer might be contagious also contained a kernel of hope that the strategies used against infectious diseases, especially vaccination, might be able to subdue this dread disease. Today, nearly one in six cancers are thought to have an infectious cause, but the path to that understanding was twisting and turbulent. ​ A Contagious Cause is the first book to trace the century-long hunt for a human cancer virus in America, an effort whose scale exceeded that of the Human Genome Project. The government’s campaign merged the worlds of molecular biology, public health, and military planning in the name of translating laboratory discoveries into useful medical therapies. However, its expansion into biomedical research sparked fierce conflict. Many biologists dismissed the suggestion that research should be planned and the idea of curing cancer by a vaccine or any other means as unrealistic, if not dangerous. Although the American hunt was ultimately fruitless, this effort nonetheless profoundly shaped our understanding of life at its most fundamental levels. A Contagious Cause links laboratory and legislature as has rarely been done before, creating a new chapter in the histories of science and American politics.

The Holy Spirit gently whispered into my heart, The joy of the Lord is your strength. The words came out of seemingly nowhere, but it was a message the Lord knew Id need to prepare for the cancer diagnosis that was waiting up ahead. Id soon discover, as have the other eleven breast cancer warriors in this book, that through Christ, hope and joy can abound, permeating even our darkest of days.

NOVEL SYNOPSIS: Averaging $12/hour some 1.4 million nursing aides care for fragile patients--yet who cares when caretakers fall ill? One nursing aide uses what she's learned helping patients cross Life's final bumps for her own exit. When Kyong Ah Choi spits of a blood clot that looks like a chunk of Dead Husband's liver, terror mounts Left Lung. Her White Knight cigarettes smother panic and pipe in dreams of a former patient, a gardener who Kevorkianed himself with pruning arms. Soon Cancer Goddess propels the aide to Flatland County Hospital, where Oakland's shot, maimed and uninsured lean away from her Asian TB-like hacking. She joins the beggar mob petitioning MediCal. A guilt-ridden single mom, she's loathe to admit she's ill, much less ask for help from her kids--Yumi the hater, Mickey the boozer and Sally the lesbian sex toys store clerk. When a North-Korean-missile-sized biopsy needle disgorges its payload--killer cells--Kyong Ah ups her tactics. Liquor and tobacco offerings to Cancer Goddess. Chants and needles to Mercy Goddess. But how can Kyong Ah's wheezy lungs fight off a plague that mimics the very ingenuity and drive of its immigrant host?

It has been recognized for almost 200 years that certain families seem to inherit cancer. It is only in the past decade, however, that molecular genetics and epidemiology have combined to define the role of inheritance in cancer more clearly, and to identify some of the genes involved. The causative genes can be tracked through cancer-prone families via genetic linkage and positional cloning. Several of the genes discovered have subsequently been proved to play critical roles in normal growth and development. There are also implications for the families themselves in terms of genetic testing with its attendant dilemmas, if it is not clear that useful action will result. The chapters in The Genetics of Cancer illustrate what has already been achieved and take a critical look at the future directions of this research and its potential clinical applications.

"Quammen brilliantly and powerfully re-creates the 19th century naturalist's intellectual and spiritual journey."--Los Angeles Times Book Review Twenty-one years passed between Charles Darwin's epiphany that "natural selection" formed the basis of evolution and the scientist's publication of On the Origin of Species. Why did Darwin delay, and what happened during the course of those two decades? The human drama and scientific basis of these years constitute a fascinating, tangled tale that elucidates the character of a cautious naturalist who initiated an intellectual revolution.

Ecology and Evolution of Cancer is a timely work outlining ideas that not only represent a substantial and original contribution to the fields of evolution, ecology, and cancer, but also goes beyond by connecting the interfaces of these disciplines. This work engages the expertise of a multidisciplinary research team to collate and review the latest knowledge and developments in this exciting research field. The evolutionary perspective of cancer has gained significant international recognition and interest, which is fully understandable given that somatic cellular selection and evolution are elegant explanations for carcinogenesis. Cancer is now generally accepted to be an evolutionary and ecological process with complex interactions between tumor cells and their environment sharing many similarities with organismal evolution. As a critical contribution to this field of research the book is important and relevant for the applications of evolutionary biology to understand the origin of cancers, to control neoplastic progression, and to prevent therapeutic failures. Covers all aspects of the evolution of cancer, appealing to researchers seeking to understand its origins and effects of treatments on its progression, as well as to lecturers in evolutionary medicine Functions as both an introduction to cancer and evolution and a review of the current research on this burgeoning, exciting field, presented by an international group of leading editors and contributors Improves understanding of the origin and the evolution of cancer, aiding efforts to determine how this disease interferes with biotic interactions that govern ecosystems Highlights research that intends to apply evolutionary principles to help predict emergence and metastatic progression with the aim of improving therapies

A collection of dog portraits capturing each canine's distinctive personality, including border collies, poodles, and mixed breeds.