{"id":118248,"date":"2026-10-07T05:05:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T09:05:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bgodinspired.com\/?p=118248"},"modified":"2026-10-07T05:05:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T09:05:19","slug":"cancer-caused-by-infections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bgodinspired.com\/index.php\/health-and-wellness\/cancer-caused-by-infections\/","title":{"rendered":"Cancer Caused by Infections: 1 in 8 Cases, Most Preventable"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class='booster-block booster-read-block'>\n                <div class=\"twp-read-time\">\n                \t<i class=\"booster-icon twp-clock\"><\/i> <span>Read Time:<\/span>10 Minute, 20 Second                <\/div>\n\n            <\/div><p>Here is a sentence most people never expect to read: about one in every eight cancers in the world starts with an infection.<\/p>\n\n<p>Not a gene you were born with. Not something you ate last week. A germ that got in quietly, often many years earlier, and did nothing you could feel at the time.<\/p>\n\n<p>That sounds frightening. But stay with it, because the full story of cancer caused by infections turns out to be one of the most hopeful pieces of cancer news in a long time.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Cancer Caused by Infections: What the New Study Found<\/h2>\n\n<p>On 28 September 2026, scientists at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the cancer research arm of the World Health Organization, published a new analysis in the medical journal <em>The Lancet Oncology<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n<p>They estimated that about <strong>2.3 million<\/strong> of the new cancer cases diagnosed worldwide in 2024 were caused by infections. That is roughly <strong>12%<\/strong> of all new cancers that year, or about one in eight.<\/p>\n\n<p>One honest note before we go on. This is an <em>estimate<\/em>, not a head count. Nobody tested 2.3 million people. The researchers took the world&#8217;s best cancer figures for 2024 and worked out what share of each cancer type is known to be caused by a particular germ. That is a careful, standard method. But the word &#8220;about&#8221; belongs in front of that number, and it should stay there.<\/p>\n\n<p>It is also an estimate of cancers that <em>did<\/em> happen. It does not say that an infection will turn into cancer. Most people who carry these germs never get cancer at all.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"convertkit-form wp-block-convertkit-form\" style=\"\"><script async data-uid=\"c87e3ed518\" src=\"https:\/\/bgodinspired.kit.com\/c87e3ed518\/index.js\" data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" data-no-defer=\"1\" data-no-optimize=\"1\" nowprocket><\/script><\/div>\n\n\n<h2>The Biggest Cause Isn&#8217;t a Virus<\/h2>\n\n<p>When this news travelled, many headlines said &#8220;viruses.&#8221; That is mostly right, but not quite. The single biggest cause on the list is a <strong>bacterium<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n<p>It is called <em>Helicobacter pylori<\/em>, or H. pylori for short. It lives in the stomach. The study linked it to about <strong>760,000<\/strong> cancer cases in 2024, mainly stomach cancer.<\/p>\n\n<p>Here is the top five, in the researchers&#8217; own numbers:<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>H. pylori<\/strong> (a stomach bacterium): about 760,000 cases, mostly stomach cancer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>HPV<\/strong> (human papillomavirus): about 750,000 cases, mostly cervical cancer, plus some cancers of the throat, mouth and genitals.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hepatitis B<\/strong>: about 360,000 cases, mostly liver cancer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)<\/strong>: about 260,000 cases, including cancers at the back of the nose, some stomach cancers and Hodgkin lymphoma.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hepatitis C<\/strong>: about 160,000 cases, mostly liver cancer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>Together, these five account for almost all cancers caused by infections. In total the team looked at 12 germs, including HIV, three parasites, and a herpes virus linked to a cancer called Kaposi sarcoma.<\/p>\n\n<p>Why does the bacterium matter so much? Because H. pylori is usually treated with an ordinary course of medicines. The biggest single cause of infection-linked cancer is not some untouchable mystery. In many cases, it is something a doctor can test for and clear.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Where It Happens Most<\/h2>\n\n<p>This burden is not spread evenly. More than three quarters of these cancers happened in low- and middle-income countries.<\/p>\n\n<p>Eastern Asia carried about 42% of the world total, driven mostly by H. pylori and hepatitis B. Sub-Saharan Africa was hit especially hard by HPV and by the Kaposi sarcoma herpes virus, made worse by HIV. South-East Asia and Central and Eastern Europe also had high rates.<\/p>\n\n<p>If you are reading this in one of those places, this study is about your neighbours, your family, and maybe you. That is not a reason to panic. It is a reason to know what can be done.<\/p>\n\n<p>If this news has stirred up worry for you or someone you love, you are not alone in that. Fear about our health often hides under other fears. We wrote about that here: <a href=\"https:\/\/bgodinspired.com\/index.php\/health-and-wellness\/death-anxiety\/\">Death Anxiety: The Fear Hiding Under Your Other Fears<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<h2>A Long, Quiet Head Start<\/h2>\n\n<p>The strangest part of this story is the time gap.<\/p>\n\n<p>Take HPV. Most HPV infections clear up on their own, without anyone ever knowing they were there. In the few that stay, the World Health Organization says it usually takes 15 to 20 years for cervical cancer to develop in women with healthy immune systems. In women whose immune systems are weakened, for example by untreated HIV, it can take as little as 5 to 10 years.<\/p>\n\n<p>Fifteen years is a very long head start. It also means fifteen years of chances to find the problem before it becomes cancer. That is exactly what cervical screening is designed to do.<\/p>\n\n<p>EBV has its own quiet history. Almost all of us catch it at some point, and it stays in the body for life, usually doing no harm. We have written before about how it can wake up again under stress: <a href=\"https:\/\/bgodinspired.com\/index.php\/bgodinspired-news\/bgodinspired-health-news\/covid-reactivates-dormant-viruses-in-your-body\/\">COVID Reactivates Dormant Viruses in Your Body<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Most of These Cancers Can Be Prevented<\/h2>\n\n<p>This is the part of the study that deserves the loudest headline.<\/p>\n\n<p>According to IARC, most infection-related cancers can <em>already<\/em> be prevented with tools that exist today:<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Vaccines<\/strong> against HPV and hepatitis B.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Testing and treatment<\/strong> for H. pylori, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Screening<\/strong> for the cell changes HPV causes, long before cancer forms.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Simple measures<\/strong> that stop germs spreading, like safe injection practices and condoms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>The researchers are honest about the gaps, too. There is still no vaccine for EBV, H. pylori or the Kaposi sarcoma herpes virus. Dr Gary Clifford, a senior author on the study, said the work &#8220;highlights where future investments in new prevention tools could have the greatest impact, particularly for infections such as EBV, for which effective vaccines are not yet available.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n<p>And the reason these cancers still happen is not mainly a lack of science. IARC points to cost, politics, weak health systems and shame. Shame in particular stops people from getting tested for infections like HPV and HIV. People stay quiet about the very thing that, brought out into the open, could be treated.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"bgod-inline-offer\" style=\"border-left:4px solid #c9a227;padding:16px 20px;margin:28px 0;background:#faf7ee;\">\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 6px;font-size:0.9em;opacity:0.8;\">A good place to start:<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;\"><strong>Why Your Mind Won&#8217;t Slow Down at Night<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;\">If health worries keep you awake, this short guide explains why your mind speeds up when the house goes quiet, and walks you through five simple steps to help it settle tonight.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:0;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bgodinspired.com\/index.php\/why-your-mind-wont-slow-down-at-night-and-the-5-step-order-that-changes-it\/?utm_source=wordpress&amp;utm_medium=article-inline&amp;utm_content=hero\">Get the free guide<\/a> &nbsp;Free.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<h2>What You Can Actually Do<\/h2>\n\n<p>None of this needs money you don&#8217;t have or a specialist you can&#8217;t reach. Most of it starts with one question at a local clinic.<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Ask about the HPV vaccine<\/strong> for the young people in your life. In many countries it is offered through schools or public clinics.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Check that babies get the hepatitis B vaccine.<\/strong> It is part of routine childhood vaccination in most of the world.<\/li>\n<li><strong>If you have a cervix, ask about screening.<\/strong> It looks for changes years before cancer could form.<\/li>\n<li><strong>If you have long-lasting stomach trouble<\/strong>, ask a health worker whether an H. pylori test makes sense for you.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ask about a hepatitis B or C test<\/strong> if you have never had one, especially if you have ever had a blood transfusion, an injection with a reused needle, or a family member with liver disease.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>And if just reading this has your heart racing, it can help to put a name to that feeling. Our free <a href=\"https:\/\/bgodinspired.com\/index.php\/how-anxious-am-i\/\">How Anxious Am I?<\/a> check takes a couple of minutes and can help you see where you really are.<\/p>\n\n<h2>What Was Hidden Can Be Found<\/h2>\n\n<p>There is something in the shape of this story that is worth sitting with.<\/p>\n\n<p>So much of this harm begins in secret. A germ slips in. Nothing hurts. Years go by. And the thing that most often keeps it hidden is not the germ itself. It is our silence, our shame, our &#8220;I&#8217;d rather not know.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n<p>There is a very old idea that nothing hidden stays hidden forever. People usually hear that as a warning. But read next to a study like this, it sounds much more like a promise: that the things growing quietly in the dark can be found, named and dealt with, and that being found is where healing starts. A great deal of ancient wisdom about God has exactly that shape. Not a God who is waiting to catch you out, but a God who brings things into the light so they can be mended.<\/p>\n\n<p>That is what a screening test is, really. A small, brave decision to let the light in early.<\/p>\n\n<h2>The Hopeful Number<\/h2>\n\n<p>It would be easy to walk away from this news remembering only &#8220;2.3 million.&#8221; That is a real number, and behind it are real people and real grief.<\/p>\n\n<p>But the number that matters most for the rest of us is a different one. It is the share of those cancers that could have been stopped with things we already have. A vaccine. A test. A course of medicine. A conversation at a clinic.<\/p>\n\n<p>Most of the story, it turns out, is still unwritten. And for a lot of families around the world, the next chapter could start with a single question asked early.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Discussion Question<\/h2>\n\n<p>The study found that shame and silence stop many people from getting tested for infections that can lead to cancer. What do you think would make it easier for people in your community to ask for a test? Tell us in the comments below.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"convertkit-form wp-block-convertkit-form\" style=\"\"><script async data-uid=\"c87e3ed518\" src=\"https:\/\/bgodinspired.kit.com\/c87e3ed518\/index.js\" data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" data-no-defer=\"1\" data-no-optimize=\"1\" nowprocket><\/script><\/div>\n\n\n<h2>Share This<\/h2>\n\n<p><em>&#8220;About 1 in 8 cancers worldwide starts with an infection, and most of those can already be prevented. The biggest cause isn&#8217;t even a virus. Worth two minutes of your time: https:\/\/bgodinspired.com\/?p=118248&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p><em>&#8220;I didn&#8217;t know a common stomach bacterium was linked to more cancers than any virus, or that it can usually be treated. This made me want to ask my clinic one simple question: https:\/\/bgodinspired.com\/?p=118248&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p><em>&#8220;Hopeful cancer news for once: most infection-linked cancers can be stopped with vaccines, tests and treatment we already have. Share it with someone who&#8217;s been putting off a check-up. https:\/\/bgodinspired.com\/?p=118248&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n<h2>Questions People Ask About Cancer and Infections<\/h2>\n\n<h3>How many cancers are caused by infections?<\/h3>\n<p>A study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, published in The Lancet Oncology on 28 September 2026, estimated that about 2.3 million new cancer cases worldwide in 2024 were caused by infections. That is about 12% of all new cancers, or roughly one in eight. The figure is a modelled estimate based on global cancer data, not a direct count of patients.<\/p>\n\n<h3>Which infection causes the most cancer?<\/h3>\n<p>The bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), which lives in the stomach, was linked to the most cancers: about 760,000 cases in 2024, mainly stomach cancer. Human papillomavirus (HPV) was close behind with about 750,000 cases, mostly cervical cancer. Hepatitis B, Epstein-Barr virus and hepatitis C were the next largest causes.<\/p>\n\n<h3>Can cancers caused by infections be prevented?<\/h3>\n<p>According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, most infection-related cancers can already be prevented. The main tools are vaccines against HPV and hepatitis B, testing and treatment for H. pylori, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, cervical screening, and measures that stop infections spreading. There is not yet a vaccine for Epstein-Barr virus, H. pylori or Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus.<\/p>\n\n<h3>Does having HPV mean I will get cancer?<\/h3>\n<p>No. Most HPV infections clear up on their own without causing any problems. Only infections with high-risk types that persist for years can lead to cell changes, and the World Health Organization says cervical cancer usually takes 15 to 20 years to develop in women with healthy immune systems. Regular cervical screening can find those changes early, when they can be treated.<\/p>\n\n<h3>Why are infection-related cancers more common in poorer countries?<\/h3>\n<p>More than three quarters of infection-related cancers occur in low- and middle-income countries. Researchers point to higher rates of infection and unequal access to vaccines, testing, screening and treatment, along with financial, political and health-system barriers and the stigma attached to infections such as HPV and HIV.<\/p>\n\n<p><em>Source: International Agency for Research on Cancer, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iarc.who.int\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/pr387_E.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">press release No. 387, 28 September 2026<\/a>, on Rumgay H et al., &#8220;Global burden of cancer attributable to infections in 2024,&#8221; The Lancet Oncology. This article is for general information and is not medical advice; please talk to a health worker about your own situation.<\/em><\/p>        <div class=\"booster-block booster-reactions-block\">\n            <div class=\"twp-reactions-icons\">\n                \n                <div class=\"twp-reacts-wrap\">\n                    <a react-data=\"be-react-1\" post-id=\"118248\" class=\"be-face-icons un-reacted\" href=\"javascript:void(0)\">\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bgodinspired.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/booster-extension\/\/assets\/icon\/happy.svg\" alt=\"Happy\" title=\"\">\n                    <\/a>\n                    <div class=\"twp-reaction-title\">\n                        Happy                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"twp-count-percent\">\n                                                    <span style=\"display: none;\" class=\"twp-react-count\">0<\/span>\n                        \n                                    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The top cause isn&#8217;t a virus, and most of these cancers can already be prevented.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":118247,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"-1","landing_page":"0","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[5224,3711],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-118248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bgodinspired-health-news","category-health-and-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bgodinspired.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bgodinspired.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bgodinspired.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bgodinspired.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bgodinspired.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118248"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bgodinspired.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118248\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":118249,"href":"https:\/\/bgodinspired.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118248\/revisions\/118249"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bgodinspired.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bgodinspired.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bgodinspired.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bgodinspired.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}