Whiteneedelle asked:
When they do surgery to remove cancer cells what do they do with them? What would happen if you ingested the cells or if they were transplanted into someone else? Is it dangerous to come into contact with cancer cells from another body? Highly theoretical question I know.
When they do surgery to remove cancer cells what do they do with them? What would happen if you ingested the cells or if they were transplanted into someone else? Is it dangerous to come into contact with cancer cells from another body? Highly theoretical question I know.
They incinerate the flesh and any cloth that comes into contact with the flesh. Smooth surfaces like scalpels and floors can just be washed.
If you ate it, I hope you would cook it first.
It would only be bad for you if the flesh came from a clone of you.
The tumor and its surrounding healthy tissue is taken to the pathology lab where the pathologist will examine it to determine whether there are any places on the mass of tissue where cancer is peeking through. The goal is to remove all of the cancer in one operation, so the surgeon removes not just the cancer, but a few centimeters of surrounding tissue on all sides to be sure. So the surgeon wants to know that he/she didn’t cut to close to the tumor anywhere.
The cancer cells die during this lab process, and any residue in the operating theater is sterlized with chemicals. All reusable tools are heat sterilzed, and all other waste is carefully disposed of. Cancer is not an infectious disease, but hepatitis, HIV, etc are, hence the sterilization.
Cancer is not infectious because your immune system would attack cancer cells that aren’t yours, the same way that it would attack a transplanted organ or anything foreign in your body. Your immune system ignores your own cancer cells, because they look like normal cells to the immune system.