Infections Linked to 2.3 Million Cancer Cases
A WHO-linked study published in The Lancet Oncology attributes about 12% of 2024 cancer cases to infection.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Cancer
Live Poll
Have you kept up with recommended cancer-prevention vaccines or screenings?
A study published in The Lancet Oncology estimates that infections caused an estimated 2.3 million new cancer cases in 2024, about 12% of the world's total. Around 75% of these infection-linked cancers occurred in low- and middle-income countries.
Why it matters
Many infection-linked cancers are preventable through vaccination and treatment, making the findings relevant to public health planning. The data highlights how disparities in prevention and care shape cancer burdens across countries.
The study is an estimate of infection-attributable cancers drawn from global 2024 case counts, with Helicobacter pylori and human papillomavirus each causing 4% of cancers. Confidence intervals and the methodology behind the attribution were not provided in the source extraction.
The players
World Health Organization (WHO)
The United Nations agency for international public health that coordinates global health guidance, including cancer prevention and vaccination targets.
The Lancet Oncology
A peer-reviewed medical journal published by Elsevier that focuses on research into cancer diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
The details
Infections can cause more than 20 types of cancer, mainly through viruses that alter host cell genes or through chronic bacterial or parasitic infection that drives tissue stress and DNA damage. In Australia, HPV infections fell 90% among eligible people after the 2007 vaccination program began, though vaccination rates among 15-year-olds dropped from 85.7% in 2020 to 79.5% in 2024.
Timeline
2007: Australia's HPV vaccination program began.
2020: Vaccination rate among Australian 15-year-olds was 85.7%.
2024: Study counts 2.3 million infection-linked cancer cases; vaccination rate fell to 79.5%.
2030: Target to vaccinate 90% of 15-year-old girls.
2035: Australia could be on track to eliminate cervical cancer.
Health Landscape
Australia's national HPV vaccination program, launched in 2007, has reduced HPV infections by 90% among eligible people. The recent drop in 15-year-old vaccination rates from 85.7% to 79.5% suggests that gains from that program could erode without renewed uptake.
Vaccination against HPV can prevent infections that lead to several cancers, so vaccine uptake among adolescents directly affects future cancer risk. Declining vaccination rates among 15-year-olds in Australia mean fewer young people may be protected against infections linked to cervical and other cancers.
The takeaway
Preventing infection is one of the most practical ways to lower cancer risk, and vaccines such as HPV's offer proven protection. Keeping vaccination rates high among adolescents is essential to sustaining declines in infection-linked cancers.
What happens next
Australia's target to vaccinate 90% of 15-year-old girls by 2030 provides a measurable checkpoint for progress.
Further reading
For more on how infections drive cancer risk and prevention, explore Cancer coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Independent.
Live Poll
Have you kept up with recommended cancer-prevention vaccines or screenings?
