Infectious Causes of Malignancy and Their Potential Prevention

Abstract

There are numerous infectious etiologies of malignancy, both as direct causation or co-factors, as well as infections causing reduced immunity, allowing malignancies to express. Many of these infections are a major source of morbidity and mortality as well as a huge economic burden in large areas of the world. These malignancies include cervix, oral/anal, liver, gastric, nasopharyngeal, bladder carcinomas, and certain lymphomas, caused by a variety of viral, bacterial, and parasitic agents. For most of these agents, effective methods of prevention, barrier and/or immunization, and/or treatment have been developed. Socioeconomic factors show that the most preventable cancers caused by infections are highest in developing countries, raising important public health and priority issues.