The only situation in which cancer can spread from one person to another is in the following situations
Cancer is not a contagious disease that is easily transmitted from person to person, according to the website of the National Cancer Institute of the United States Government.
The only exception
“The only situation in which cancer can spread from one person to another is in the case of organ or tissue transplantation. A person who receives an organ or tissue from a donor who had cancer in the past may have an increased risk of developing a transplant-related cancer in the future,” they warn.
Extremely low risk
However, that risk is extremely low: around two cases of cancer for every 10 000 organ transplants. Not for nothing do physicians avoid using organs or tissues from donors with a history of cancer.
Cancers caused by viruses or bacteria
In some people, cancers can be caused by certain viruses (some types of human papillomavirus or HPV, for example) and bacteria (such as Helicobacter pylori ).
However, while a virus or bacteria can spread from person to person, the cancers they sometimes cause cannot spread from person to person.
Cancer in Spain is on the rise
Cancer continues in a progressive increase during the last years in Spain. In 2022, specifically, 290,175 new cases appeared according to figures from the Spanish Association Against Cancer. They were 1.34 more than in the previous year. The most common type of cancer in both men and women was that of colon and rectum, followed by prostate and breast.
