01/10/2026
At SCCI, we not only treat cancer, we teach your loved ones how to PREVENT cancer e.g treating underlying chronic infections 🙏
Just 5 infections are responsible for more than 2 million preventable cancer cases annually, accounting for one in eight diagnoses worldwide.
A new study from the World Health Organization's cancer agency reveals a startling reality: one in eight cancer cases diagnosed globally is caused by preventable or treatable infections.
Published in The Lancet Oncology, the research indicates that roughly 12% of all new cancer cases in 2024—about 2.3 million cases—were directly linked to infectious pathogens. Instead of traditional lifestyle factors like smoking or sun exposure, these diagnoses stem from common biological agents.
Experts emphasize that a vast majority of these cases could be entirely avoided through existing vaccines, timely screenings, and standard medical treatments.
At the heart of this global health challenge are five primary pathogens responsible for nearly all infection-related cancers. The stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori leads the list, causing an estimated 760,000 cases of gastric cancer, closely followed by the human papillomavirus (HPV) with 750,000 cases.
Hepatitis B and C viruses continue to drive high rates of liver cancer, while the Epstein-Barr virus—recently linked to a broader spectrum of stomach cancers and lymphomas—accounts for 260,000 cases.
By expanding access to HPV vaccinations, hepatitis treatments, and antibiotic therapies, public health officials could dramatically reduce the global cancer toll.
source: Rumgay, H., Georges, D., Huang, Y., Hirabayashi, M., Shah, R., de Martel, C., Park, J. Y., Soerjomataram, I., & Clifford, G. M. (2026). Global burden of cancer attributable to infections in 2024: a worldwide incidence analysis. The Lancet Oncology.
