{"items": [{"author": "Julia", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/102487727783123805341", "anchor": "gp-1338595098627", "service": "gp", "text": "There are actually contagious cancers (see for instance \nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil_facial_tumour_disease\n), just none (that we know about) in humans.", "timestamp": 1338595098}, {"author": "Andrew", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/361673727219630?comment_id=361713670548969", "anchor": "fb-361713670548969", "service": "fb", "text": "You're essentially right, but (as I've unfortunately had occasion to learn), an individual's cancer will evolve resistance to a particular treatment as the disease progresses. And, as I saw someone on G+ commented, there are actually contagious cancers. Don't kiss any tasmanian devils.", "timestamp": "1338595410"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/361673727219630?comment_id=361720787214924", "anchor": "fb-361720787214924", "service": "fb", "text": "@Andrew: I think it's ok for me to kiss tasmanian devils as long as I'm not one myself. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clonally_transmissible_cancer", "timestamp": "1338596609"}, {"author": "Andrew", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/361673727219630?comment_id=361817600538576", "anchor": "fb-361817600538576", "service": "fb", "text": "Arguably, there are other reasons not to kiss tasmanian devils.", "timestamp": "1338608640"}, {"author": "Edward", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/361673727219630?comment_id=363213657065637", "anchor": "fb-363213657065637", "service": "fb", "text": "Well, up to a point. As Andrew says, cancer is an evolutionary process, and can defeat the body's defences in dastardly ways even without talking to others. Also, some cancers are caused partly by viruses, and those viruses could plausibly carry information from one person's cancer to another. (I've been meaning to read http://www.amazon.com/A-Planet-Viruses-Carl.../dp/0226983358 for a while tho something more technical would prob be better for me)", "timestamp": "1338814658"}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://www.facebook.com/jefftk/posts/361673727219630?comment_id=363325737054429", "anchor": "fb-363325737054429", "service": "fb", "text": "@Edward: \"defeat the body's defences in dastardly ways even without talking to other\"
Yes, but a cure that was effective on new patients today wouldn't be expected to lose it's effectiveness on new patients over the years by the development of resistant strains.
I'm not sure about viruses.", "timestamp": "1338829159"}]}