WHO report links infections to 2.3 million cancer cases

Infections caused an estimated 2.3 million new cancer cases worldwide in 2024, accounting for 12 percent of diagnoses, according to a report by World Health Organization researchers reported by ERR.

Researchers at the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer analysed 12 infections classified as established causes of cancer. Using the GLOBOCAN 2024 database, they estimated each infection’s contribution by country, age group, sex and income level.

Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium that lives in the stomach, and human papillomavirus (HPV) were each linked to about 750,000 to 760,000 cancer cases. Together, the two infections accounted for nearly one eighth of the global cancer burden, the researchers said.

H. pylori is linked to most cancers affecting the lower part of the stomach and to some forms of lymphoma. Early diagnosis and antibiotic treatment can clear the infection and reduce the risk of cancer. HPV is behind all cervical cancer cases and can also cause cancers of the mouth, throat and anus, including in men. Vaccination can help limit the virus’s spread and the cancers associated with it.

Hepatitis B was linked to an estimated 360,000 cancer cases and hepatitis C to about 160,000. Epstein-Barr virus accounted for an estimated 260,000 cases and is associated with cancers of the nasopharynx and stomach. The hepatitis viruses mainly affect the liver.

The burden of infection-related cancers varies by region. East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa had the highest burdens globally, while Central and Eastern Europe stood out in Europe.