arnold

[Primary Captain]

........

[Simple Simon]

Never smoked in his life, died of lung cancer.

[Wez]

I hate fucking cigarettes.

[Simple Simon]

I hate fucking cigarettes.

You are supposed to smoke them.

[DroppingPlates]

Please continue smoking,  and smoke more cigarettes. I will be happy and laugh when you have lung cancer.

But you love pole smoking, premature cocktrain, you can get throat cancer from this...

[Wez]

You are supposed to smoke them.

You are witty my friend but I watched my Father die a slow horrible death from lung cancer due to his love for Camel non filters...like drowning only above water. It was devastating.

[Simple Simon]

You are witty my friend but I watched my Father die a slow horrible death from lung cancer due to his love for Camel non filters...like drowning only above water. It was devastating.

But he chose to smoke, like we choose to take steroids or drink.
Your family could be here saying something along those lines about steroid usage or drinking in a few years. .

[DroppingPlates]

Didn't bother reading. Just continue to smoke and catch cancer.

Oh yes you did.
Me, smoking?

[Simple Simon]

'catch' cancer?

[Wolfox]

Vaper here bro. 

[Simple Simon]

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Cancers You Can Catch

New evidence shows viruses might cause one of every five cases.

By Korey Capozza for MSN Health & Fitness

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Most people know that viruses can cause a host of unpleasant illnesses—skin rashes, stomach flu and the common cold, to name a few. But many of us may not realize these clever microorganisms play a key role in triggering a surprising number of cancers. In fact, one-fifth of cancers may be linked to viral pathogens. Every year, new discoveries seem to confirm this provocative relationship.

The question of why and how cancer begins to grow in previously healthy tissue has long perplexed scientists. But in the last 25 years, more and more evidence seems to point to a common culprit: Infectious microbes. The revolutionary discovery by Australian scientists that stomach ulcers are likely caused by Helicobactor pylori, or H. pylori, bacteria sparked new interest in the role that bacteria and viruses may play in disease development.

Today, we know that H. pylori also causes stomach cancer, and that infection with two strains of the human papilloma virus (HPV) lead to cervical cancer. In the case of the latter, the viral connection prompted a new cervical cancer vaccine targeted for preteen girls.

The potentially contagious cancers list goes on: The hepatitis B virus is related to liver cancer, certain retroviruses are linked to T-cell leukemia, and the Epstein-Barr virus plays a role in some carcinomas. Another virus, named XMRV, made headlines last year when researchers discovered that it may be related to prostate cancer.

"It seems clear that more and more viruses will be implicated in more cancers," says Dr. Robert Ferris, associate professor of immunology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute.

However, certain cancers in particular seem to be associated with parts of the body exposed to the "outside world," such as the mouth, throat and reproductive areas. That's because viruses enter the body through everyday activities like eating, breathing and sexual activity, notes Ferris.

So how do common viruses turn healthy cells into cancerous ones?

Once inside the body, the virus integrates its genetic material with the host cell's DNA. These genetically altered, “corrupted” cells begin to grow uncontrollably, eventually leading to cancer. In the case of cervical cancer, for example, the HPV virus hijacks cervical cells and turns them into malignant growths.

Not everyone who is infected by these viruses will develop cancer—and this is one of the fascinating, if not fear-reducing, mysteries of the virus-cancer connection. For example, while most* women who develop cervical cancer have had a human papilloma virus (HPV) infection, not all women with HPV infection will develop cervical cancer. Studies have shown that 70 percent of new HPV infections resolve on their own within one year, and as many as 91 percent clear within two years. The same holds true for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)—most people are infected with EBV, but very few will develop Hodgkin's lymphoma.

It's clear that the immune system plays a critical role in keeping these high-risk viruses in check. In most cases, the body's defenses clear the infectious agents without any signs or symptoms. That’s because the immune system is constantly working behind the scenes, patrolling the body for foreign agents and destroying disease-causing microbes before they can tamper with the DNA of healthy cells.

In some cases, though, the immune system fails to perform these tasks and the virus seizes the opportunity. Old age, underlying disease or unhealthy habits may weaken the body's defenses, giving these viruses a leg up. "The immune system, like most parts of the body, gets rickety with age and less able to prevent cancer," Ferris says.

The key to preventing some of these cancers simply may be keeping the immune system working in tip-top shape. Eating well, exercising and avoiding alcohol and cigarettes are good ways to keep your body’s natural defenses functioning at their best. "You don't want to give the virus an advantage by smoking or drinking,” says Ferris. “These habits damage cells and give viruses an entrée into the weakened cells."

Viruses are everywhere and are contagious, but there is one significant upside to the virus-cancer link: we have tools which can prevent infection in the first place. For example, the new cervical cancer vaccine, a phenomenal breakthrough, can prevent women from becoming infected with the HPV virus and thereby eliminate the risk ofcervical cancer.

Interestingly, the HPV vaccine may prevent some mouth, throat and larynx (voice box) cancers, which also appear to be linked to the HPV virus. The hepatitis B vaccine is another weapon in the fight against cancer. It effectively protects against the liver cancer-associated virus. And because these two viruses often are sexually transmitted, use of condoms during intercourse can prevent exposure to these disease-promoting bugs.

As the old adage goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Or as Allen Lichter, CEO of the American Society for Clinical Oncology, recently said: "The easiest cancer to cure is the cancer we don't get because we prevented it."

Ironically, viruses may both cause and kill cancer. Viruses have evolved over millions of years to selectively target certain cells while leaving other tissue unharmed. For this reason they are, in some ways, the ideal anti-cancer weapon.

Researchers have shown that viruses, such as HIV and inactivated measles, can be used to carry a therapeutic gene to the precise location of the cancer. For example, studies have shown that a benign altered virus can trick the immune system into attacking pancreatic cancer cells, and the measles virus may effectively identify and neutralize ovarian cancer cell lines. This cutting edge of cancer research holds huge promise for the development of effective, non-toxic cancer treatments of the future. Puts viruses in a whole new and positive light, doesn’t it?

Correction, 2/23/2007:This article originally stated that "all women who develop cervical cancer have had a human papilloma virus (HPV) infection."  According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, HPV infection is the primary risk factor for cervical cancer, but other risk factors include a high number of full-term pregnancies, use of oral contraceptives, and smoking. This error has been corrected. Return to the corrected sentence.

Korey Capozza is a San Francisco-based writer and regular contributor to MSN Healthy Living.

© MSN Healthy Living

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Lol
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancerbasics/is-cancer-contagious

Is Cancer Contagious?
Cancer is NOT contagious.
A healthy person cannot “catch” cancer from someone who has it. There is no evidence that close contact or things like sex, kissing, touching, sharing meals, or breathing the same air can spread cancer from one person to another.

Cancer cells from one person are generally unable to live in the body of another healthy person. A healthy person’s immune system recognizes foreign cells and destroys them, including cancer cells from another person.

[Simple Simon]

You're a fool. Die now.

Dont get too close you may catch something from me.

[galeniko]

primary polesmoker wishing he were some scientist.

oh jesus

[Wez]

But he chose to smoke, like we choose to take steroids or drink.
Your family could be here saying something along those lines about steroid usage or drinking in a few years. .

Doesn't make me hate them any less.

[BikiniSlut]

"Social smoking" is retarded. I understand social drinking but social smoking??

You can't catch cancer. I once dated a guy who thought he could catch cancer by having sex with me.  Yes....I'm serious. Finally his Dad clued him in and he came back the next week apologizing with a card.

[Wez]

"Social smoking" is retarded. I understand social drinking but social smoking??

You can't catch cancer. I once dated a guy who thought he could catch cancer by having sex with me.  Yes....I'm serious. Finally his Dad clued him in and he came back the next week apologizing with a card.

Well girl? did you?

[tu_holmes]

"Social smoking" is retarded. I understand social drinking but social smoking??

You can't catch cancer. I once dated a guy who thought he could catch cancer by having sex with me.  Yes....I'm serious. Finally his Dad clued him in and he came back the next week apologizing with a card.

Why would you date such a buffoon?

[Henda]

"Social smoking" is retarded. I understand social drinking but social smoking??

x2
I have several friends who do this, hate smoking most of the time but buy a pack of ciggarettes to go out on the drink with? Wtf i thouht people either smoked or didnt.

[King Shizzo]

Why would you eat healthy, workout all the time, and then smoke 

Morons.

[BikiniSlut]

Why would you date such a buffoon?

I swear to God that was the first and only sign of such stupidity with this guy. Nothing else about him ever screamed "retardedness".

He was of normal intelligence as far as I could tell. I was 22/23. As was he.

It really caught me off guard.

And I cried haha. Then when he apologized and brought me the card (it was a Teddy Bear card  I was so happy. So young and so dumb. Hahahahahaha......funny memories. 

We lasted less than a month after that haha. 

[BikiniSlut]

Why would you eat healthy, workout all the time, and then smoke 

Morons.

Simply because they are addicted.

What is stupid is "social smoking". Oh brother. 

[dustin]

I wish cigarettes weren't so horrible for your health and smelly. Smoking is incredibly enjoyable and humans have been smoking shit since we discovered fire.

I just smoke ciggaweed, but not too much for recreation. Just a few nights a month at midnight or something when everyone's in bed. If there was a cigarette that didn't harm your health or smelled bad, I would smoke 50 of them a day.

[oldtimer1]

You are more likely to die from early heart disease than from cancer if you smoke.

[tu_holmes]

I swear to God that was the first and only sign of such stupidity with this guy. Nothing else about him ever screamed "retardedness".

He was of normal intelligence as far as I could tell. I was 22/23. As was he.

It really caught me off guard.

And I cried haha. Then when he apologized and brought me the card (it was a Teddy Bear card  I was so happy. So young and so dumb. Hahahahahaha......funny memories. 

We lasted less than a month after that haha. 

Young love... Those were the days.

Although, about that time I was dating a girl who was completely driving me insane and I had to drop her.

[galeniko]

You are more likely to die from early heart disease than from cancer if you smoke.

whichever comes first, bring it on