Cancer linked to 2.3m infection cases globally in 2024 – Study

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.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) followed with about 750,000 cases, while hepatitis B virus (HBV) was linked to 360,000 cases.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) accounted for about 260,000 cases, while hepatitis C virus (HCV) was associated with approximately 160,000 cases.

The five infections accounted for the majority of cancers attributable to infectious agents in the study.

The researchers said the findings underscored the importance of infection control in cancer prevention, noting that several of the infections could be prevented or treated.

They identified interventions including HPV and HBV vaccination, testing and treatment for HIV, H. pylori, HBV and HCV, as well as safe injection practices.

Other measures include condom use and pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent HIV transmission, alongside screening for precancerous lesions linked to HPV-driven cervical and anal cancers.

The study found that eastern Asia recorded the largest absolute burden, with about 990,000 infection-attributable cancer cases, representing 42 per cent of the global total.

Sub-Saharan Africa, however, recorded an age-standardised incidence rate of 28.5 cases per 100,000 people, higher than the global average of 22.7 cases per 100,000.

Central and eastern Europe recorded 24.3 cases per 100,000, while southeastern Asia recorded 23.1 cases per 100,000.

 (NAN)