New research has linked 12% of cancer cases to infections: what does this mean? | In Focus Podcast
A new study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer reveals that 12% of global cancer cases in 2024 were linked to infections. The report highlights that these cases are disproportionately concentrated in low- and middle-income countries.
Why it matters
Understanding the link between infectious agents and cancer is critical for developing targeted vaccines and screening programs that could significantly reduce global cancer mortality.
We’re used to thinking of cancer as something for which there is no known cause and we know that risk factors include using tobacco and excessive alcohol as well as obesity. And while of these factors are true, what we may not have realised is that infections could also, in some cases, lead to cancers. A new study conducted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer or IARC, has now found that infections were responsible for 2.3 million new cancer cases in 2024, or 12% of the total cases globally that year.
What infections? A bacterium and several viruses were linked cancer cases, and what is significant is that a large proportion of these cases were found in low- and middle-income countries.
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