A new analysis by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) estimates that 2.3 million new cancer cases worldwide in 2024 are caused by infections, representing about 12% of all new cancer cases. The study says these infection-related cancers could be prevented through existing measures such as treatment and vaccines.
The findings come from an IARC effort presented through agency reporting, with outlets highlighting the scale of infection-attributable cancer. France 24 quotes the study’s lead author, Dr. Gary Clifford, and frames the results in terms of preventability through better infection control and available interventions. Newsweek similarly emphasizes that a “significant proportion” of the global cancer burden is avoidable if infection risks are reduced.
While both outlets focus on the overall estimate and the prevention implications, they do not present substantially different numbers. Their coverage largely aligns on the central figure: about one in eight new cancer cases in 2024 worldwide is linked to infections, based on IARC’s analysis.
