Infectious agents and cancer - statistics
This section contains statistics on cancer and infections.
Cancer is not in any sense an infectious disease. However a small number of infectious agents, especially certain viruses, appear to play a key role in causing particular types of cancer.
It is estimated that around one in 33 cancer cases in the UK, and one in six cases worldwide, are linked to such infections.
- An overview of the link between infections and cancer
- Information on Epstein Barr virus (EBV) and cancer
- Information on Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and cancer
- Information on HTLV 1 retrovirus and cancer
- Information on KSHV and cancer
- Information on hepatitis viruses and cancer






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