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News
A landmark IARC study finds that 2.3 million new cancer cases in 2024 — roughly 1 in 8 globally — were caused by infections. H. pylori and HPV topped the list, together driving ~1.5 million cases. The good news? Most of these cancers are preventable with existing vaccines, screening, and treatment programs.
A sweeping new analysis published in Lancet Oncology by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reveals that 12% of all cancer cases worldwide in 2024 — roughly 2.3 million diagnoses — were attributable to infections. Five infectious agents drove nearly all of these cases: H. pylori, HPV, hepatitis B virus (HBV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV). Notably, EBV emerged as the fourth-leading infectious cause of cancer, surpassing HCV — a finding the researchers described as one of the most striking, driven by new evidence linking EBV to gastric cancer in addition to its established role in nasopharyngeal cancer and lymphoma.
The burden falls hardest on low- and middle-income countries, with eastern Asia accounting for 42% of all infection-attributable cancers, followed by sub-Saharan Africa at 25%. Researchers stressed that while the burden is "enormous," it is also "largely preventable" — four of the five top infectious causes already have highly effective prevention tools, including HPV and HBV vaccines and testing/treatment programs for H. pylori and hepatitis. The key challenge: getting those tools to the regions that need them most.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: These findings make a powerful case for scaling up proven interventions — HPV and HBV vaccination, H. pylori treatment, and cervical screening — while urgently investing in new tools like an EBV vaccine. Infection-related cancer isn't just a medical challenge; it's a global health equity crisis.
