Overview
- The IARC study, published in late September 2026, estimates infections caused roughly 2.3 million new cancer cases in 2024, equal to about 12% of global diagnoses.
- Nearly all infection‑attributable cancers were tied to five agents: Helicobacter pylori (~760,000 cases), human papillomaviruses (HPV, ~750,000), hepatitis B virus (~360,000), Epstein–Barr virus (~260,000) and hepatitis C virus (~160,000).
- The burden falls mainly on low‑ and middle‑income countries, which accounted for about 77% of these cases, with East Asia responsible for roughly 42% of infection‑related diagnoses in 2024.
- Many of these cancers are preventable with existing tools such as HPV and HBV vaccines, HCV treatment and H. pylori test‑and‑treat pilots, while the absence of a licensed EBV vaccine makes new vaccine development a priority.
- Authors warn that population growth and aging will raise absolute cancer numbers by 2050 and say targeted investment to expand vaccines, diagnostics and treatments could sharply reduce future infection‑driven cancers.