Helicobacter pylori, a major cause of stomach cancer
Over the years, it’s become apparent that certain viruses, bacteria and parasites can cause cancer, as exemplified by the Human papillomavirus, or HPV, which is implicated in cervical cancer and now subject of the new vaccination programme for teenage girls in the UK.
What many people don’t realise is that nearly 20 per cent of all cancers worldwide (and around 8 per cent in the developed world) are thought to be linked to infections (although it’s important to stress that cancer itself cannot be passed on between people except under vanishingly rare circumstances)
But while it’s relatively easy to find out which viruses, bacteria or parasites cause a particular infection, it’s very difficult to pin down an infection as being linked to cancer because the usual rules don’t apply.
For starters, many thousands of people are often infected, but only a few will ever go on to develop cancer. And finding the infectious agent in a sample of the tumour isn’t enough either – how can scientists know whether it’s causing the cancer, or simply along for the ride?
There’s also the issue that it can take many years for cancer to develop – by which time the original infection that caused it may well have cleared up.
So clearly, pinning down exactly which infections are responsible for which cancers, and how they affect a person’s chances of developing that cancer, requires well-planned, thoughtful, long-term research.
In a breakout session on the first full day of the NCRI Cancer Conference, we heard about some great case-studies of cancer-causing infections, and about the scientists’ work to find out exactly how these infections cause cancer, and who’s most at risk.
Posted by Jess Harris 
Posted by Jess Harris 
Posted by Helen George 
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