A new international study has found that one in eight cancers worldwide are triggered by infections, with approximately 2.3 million of the 19.2 million new cancer cases diagnosed in 2024 linked to infection. Researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer emphasise that many of these cases could be prevented through existing vaccinations and public health measures, though such strategies remain underutilised due to societal, financial and political barriers.

The five main infections responsible for infection-related cancers are Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B and C, and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). H. pylori is the leading cause with around 760,000 cases, whilst recent research suggests it may also increase bowel cancer risk by 60 per cent. Low- and middle-income countries bear the heaviest burden, accounting for 77 per cent of infection-linked cancer cases, with Eastern Asia recording 990,000 cases—42 per cent of the global total. In Western Europe, HPV is the largest infection-related cancer cause, with effective prevention through vaccination programmes already available.