Most cases of stomach cancer are caused by bacteria. A majority of cervical cancers, as well as some genital and oral cancers, are caused by a virus. [C]ertain chronic viral infections can lead to liver cancer. Infections like these account for an estimated 13 percent of all cancer cases globally, according to a new report published … by the American Association for Cancer Research. But knowing which infections can lead to cancer means scientists also have a good idea how to prevent them from ever getting that far….
Dr. Michael Pignone, a professor of medicine at the Duke School of Medicine and member of the steering committee that oversaw the report, said the progress made in preventing and treating [human papillomavirus, hepatitis B and C, and H. pylori], among others that can cause cancer, was one reason for highlighting them. We are now close to “turning what would have previously been some common cancers into rare diseases,” he said.
