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A major analysis by the International Agency for Research on Cancer estimates that 12 carcinogenic pathogens caused about 2.3 million new cancer cases worldwide in 2024. Four viruses and one bacterium accounted for roughly 12 percent of all cases, highlighting the potential for cancer prevention through vaccination, screening and other public health measures.
A new study has revealed that daily viruses and bacteria drive 2.3 million cancers every year — and can be vaccinated against. Just four viruses and one bacteria are responsible, opening new pathways for cancer prevention.
Roughly one in every eight cancer cases diagnosed worldwide is triggered by common viral and bacterial infections, rather than inherited genetics or lifestyle factors. A major global analysis by the World Health Organization body, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, has found that an estimated 2.3 million new cancer cases in 2024 were directly caused by 12 carcinogenic pathogens.
While developing cancer is often viewed as unpredictable, the findings highlight the fact that millions of cases worldwide come from transmissible infections — which are largely preventable. In an analysis for The Conversation, Dr John La Marca and Dr Sarah Diepstraten, senior research officers at Australia's Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, noted that the vast majority of these cancer diagnoses are driven by just a handful of pathogens.
"Four viruses and one bacteria were responsible for 12% of the world's cancer cases in 2024," they wrote. Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox. Kate Broun, deputy chair of Cancer Council’s Cancer Screening and Immunisation Committee, told SBS News that vaccinations and screenings can reduce the risk of cancers.
Cancer is a group of diseases in which abnormal cells grow out of control instead of dying, and is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare estimates that around 170,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed each year in Australia. Roughly 40 per cent of the population will receive a cancer diagnosis by the age of 85.
The disease is caused when normal cell functions are disrupted, something that a virus or a bacterium can trigger. Certain viruses, like human papillomavirus , insert their own genetic material directly into human DNA, hijacking cells and deactivating tumour-suppressing proteins. This allows the cells to divide uncontrollably.
"HPV can cause several cancers and other diseases in people of all genders," Broun said. "It is responsible for cases of cervical cancer, anal cancer, vaginal cancer, vulvar cancer, and penile cancer. " Other pathogens, like Helicobacter pylori in the stomach or hepatitis B and C in the liver, operate through persistent, chronic inflammation. Decades of continuous tissue damage, cell death, and forced regeneration significantly increase the probability of copying errors, which eventually turn healthy cells malignant.
Others still, like HIV, weaken the immune system's natural surveillance mechanisms, which gives other, dormant viruses in the body the chance to activate and trigger tumours. The report, published in Lancet Oncology, found that four primary pathogens were responsible for the vast majority of infection-driven cancers in 2024. H. pylori: A common stomach bacterium responsible for 760,000 cases annually, mainly non-cardia gastric cancers.
Hepatitis B and C: Driven by chronic liver infections, these caused 360,000 and 160,000 cases of liver cancer, respectively. Epstein-Barr Virus : The virus responsible for glandular fever also drove 260,000 cases, with more research needed into its role in throat and stomach cancers, as well as various lymphomas. Despite being the primary cause behind a substantial number of cancer cases, public awareness of the role pathogens play in the disease is limited.
La Marca and Diepstraten attribute this to the fact that many people carry these pathogens without knowing it.
"These infections can cause more than 20 different types of cancer, including stomach, liver, blood and cervical cancers," they wrote, noting that there is a long delay between infection and cancer onset, which blurs the link. Despite the considerable global figures, researchers emphasise that infection-driven cancers represent the most preventable type on the planet. HPV and hepatitis B immunisations offer anti-cancer protective properties, while hepatitis C antivirals and antibiotic treatment for H. pylori can eliminate chronic risks before issues develop.
"The HPV vaccine is safe and effective at protecting against HPV-related cancers and diseases," Broun said. "It is recommended and free for Australians aged 12 to 25 years of age. "She added that people uncertain if they have been vaccinated against hepatitis B can speak with their GP about a blood test.
"Because these infections are largely preventable or treatable," La Marca and Diepstraten wrote, "scaling up global access to existing vaccines, screening, and antimicrobial therapies offers one of our most direct routes to cutting global cancer rates". Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.
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