Cancers Attributable to Infectious Agents*
(*Not all persons infected with the organisms below will get cancer. Cancer formation involves many different variables.)
Cancer |
Associated Infectious Agent(s) |
|---|---|
Stomach (gastric) |
Helicobacter pylori, EBV* |
Liver |
Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), Opisthorchis viverrini, Clonorchis sinensis |
Cervix/Uterus |
Human Papilloma virus (HPV) with or without Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) |
Anogenital (penile, vulva, vagina, anus) |
HPV with or without Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) |
Nasopharynx |
Epstein Barr virus (EBV) |
Oropharynx |
HPV with or without tobacco or alcohol use |
Kaposi's Sarcoma |
Human Herpes virus 8 (HHV8) |
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma |
Helicobacter pylori , EBV with or without Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Human T-cell Lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV type 1) |
Hodgkin's lymphoma |
EBV |
Bladder |
Schistosoma haematobium |
Skin |
Merkel Cell Polyomavirus (MCPyV), HTLV type 1*(some controversy on this virus causing mycosis fungoides) |
*Thanks to Dr. Lora Benoit, PhD.
Infectious agents are involved in cancer formation in 2 million people per year. Helicobacter pylori, HBV, HCV and HPV cause 1.9 million of the 2 million cancers associated with microbial infection. Most common cancers associated with infectious agents; gastric, liver and cervix/uteri**.
** C. deMartel et al. 2012. Global burden of cancers attributable to infections in 2008: a review and synthetic analysis. Lancet Oncology, May 9. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(12) 70137-7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22575588
**National Cancer Institute- National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Last revised: 3/30/22
Copyright© 2012, Neal R. Chamberlain, Ph.D.
All Rights Reserved