HealthCBC1 in 8 cancer cases worldwide are caused by infections, study finds
A major new study found that one in eight cancers worldwide, about 2.3 million new cases in 2024, were caused by infections including HPV and the stomach bacterium H. pylori.
New global research suggests 12 per cent of cancers were caused by infections, predominantly caused by HPV and H. pylori
Researchers at the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer published a study in The Lancet Oncology linking 12 per cent of all new 2024 cancer cases to infections.
H. pylori bacteria was linked to 760,000 cases, mostly stomach cancer in eastern Asia, while HPV accounted for nearly 750,000 cases including 100 per cent of cervical cancers.
The study expanded the list of cancer-causing infections to include 16 more agents, with researchers saying the science on infection-linked cancers has advanced significantly.
HPV vaccination and H. pylori testing are practical steps worth discussing with your GP, as the study found these two infections alone account for the vast majority of infection-linked cancers.
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