Phoenix 24
Cancer prevention increasingly depends on controlling viruses, bacteria and parasites before tumors develop.
Lyon
Around 2.3 million new cancer cases diagnosed worldwide in 2024 were attributable to infections, representing approximately 12 percent of the global total. The findings, based on research from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, show that preventable infectious agents remain a major contributor to cancer despite decades of progress in vaccination, screening and treatment.
The burden is concentrated disproportionately in low and middle income countries, which account for nearly three quarters of infection related cancers. East Asia recorded the largest number, with about 990,000 cases, representing 42 percent of the global total. Sub Saharan Africa registered the highest proportion, with roughly one quarter of all cancers in the region linked to infections.
Helicobacter pylori was the leading infectious cause. The bacterium, which colonizes the stomach and can cause ulcers, was associated with around 760,000 new cancer cases in 2024, equivalent to 4 percent of all cancers worldwide. It is linked to several gastric cancers and a form of non Hodgkin lymphoma affecting the stomach.
Human papillomavirus ranked second, accounting for approximately 750,000 new cases. HPV can cause multiple cancers, including cervical, penile and laryngeal cancers. Cervical cancer is particularly important because virtually all cases are attributable to HPV infection, making vaccination and screening powerful prevention tools.
Hepatitis B was another major contributor, while Epstein Barr virus remains a significant concern because it is associated with several cancers but currently has no approved vaccine. Researchers identified 12 infectious agents known to cause cancer in humans, including viruses, bacteria and parasites.
The study argues that the greatest gains may come from prevention before cancer begins. Expanding existing vaccination programs, developing new vaccines, improving diagnostic testing, treating infections earlier and strengthening parasite control could substantially reduce future cancer incidence. Several countries are also testing less invasive strategies to detect and eradicate H. pylori before malignancy develops.
The findings change the way part of the global cancer burden should be understood. Not every cancer is preventable, but millions of cases originate in infections for which public health interventions already exist or could realistically be developed.
Cancer control, in this context, begins long before oncology.
Behind every data point, the intention.