Infections linked to 2.3m cancer cases globally in 2024 - Study
A new study published in The Lancet Oncology estimates that 2.3 million cancer cases in 2024 were linked to infectious agents. Researchers emphasize that many of these cancers are preventable through vaccination, screening, and improved hygiene practices.
Why it matters
The findings provide a roadmap for global health interventions, suggesting that targeted infection control could significantly reduce the global cancer burden.
AN estimated 2.3 million new cancer cases globally in 2024 were attributable to infections, accounting for about 12 per cent of all new cancer cases, a study published in The Lancet Oncology has found.
The study, titled “Global Burden of Cancer Attributable to Infections in 2024: A Worldwide Incidence Analysis”, provided an updated assessment of cancers linked to infectious agents.
Led by researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the study used data from the Global Cancer Observatory’s GLOBOCAN 2024 database.
It assessed cancers attributable to 12 infectious agents classified as Group 1 carcinogens by the IARC Monographs Programme.
The researchers estimated population-attributable fractions, absolute numbers and age-standardised incidence rates by sex, age and country.
They found that Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) accounted for the largest number of infection-attributable cancer cases, with about 760,000 cases globally.
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