Infections Linked to 2.3 Million Cancer Cases—A Prevention Opportunity

Infections were linked to 2.3 million new cancer cases worldwide in 2024—about 12%, or one in eight, of the total. The IARC analysis, published in The Lancet Oncology, mapped the cancer burden associated with 12 pathogens. Helicobacter pylori was the leading infectious cause, linked to about 760,000 cases, predominantly stomach cancer; 410,000 of those cases occurred in East Asia. The analysis puts infection prevention firmly on the cancer-control agenda.

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