Around 2.3 million new cancer cases globally were caused by virus, bacteria and parasite infections in 2024. That’s 12% of all new global cancer cases, according to a new study from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organization’s cancer agency.
“Despite progress in vaccination and screening, infection-related cancers remain a major global challenge, with the burden falling disproportionately on populations in low- and middle-income countries,” said Harriet Rumgay, a scientist in the Cancer Surveillance Branch at IARC and a co-author of the study.
