Overview
- The International Agency for Research on Cancer published updated global estimates in The Lancet Oncology on Sept. 28–29, 2026 that attribute about 2.3 million new cancer cases in 2024—roughly 12 percent of diagnoses—to infections.
- Five pathogens—Helicobacter pylori, human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), Epstein‑Barr virus (EBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV)—account for nearly all infection‑attributable cancers, with H. pylori and HPV each linked to roughly 750,000–760,000 cases.
- The burden is highly unequal: roughly three‑quarters of infection‑linked cancers occur in low‑ and middle‑income countries and eastern Asia alone accounted for about 990,000 cases in 2024.
- Many of these cancers are preventable with tools already available—HPV and HBV vaccination, hepatitis C curative therapy, H. pylori testing and antibiotics, and cervical screening—but real‑world impact is limited by delivery, funding and coverage shortfalls.
- The report expands the list of infection‑linked cancers and elevates EBV as a major contributor, prompting authors to call for scaled prevention programs and investment in new vaccines, notably for EBV and H. pylori, where effective vaccines do not yet exist.