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Meta-Analysis
. 2025 Jul 7;40(26):e143.
doi: 10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e143.

Preventable Cancers Caused by Infection in Korea From 2015 to 2030

Sungji Moon  1   2   3   4 , Jeoungbin Choi  1 , Soseul Sung  1   2   5 , Youjin Hong  1   2   6 , Kwang-Pil Ko  1   7 , Jung Eun Lee  8 , Inah Kim  9 , Seungho Ryu  10 , Sun Ha Jee  11 , Guen Hui Kim  11 , Sun Young Yang  12 , Aesun Shin  1   2   3   6 , Sun-Seog Kweon  13 , Jeongseon Kim  14 , Jieun Jang  15 , Sangjun Lee  1   2   6 , Kyungsik Kim  1   2 , Woojin Lim  1   2   5 , Yoon-Jung Choi  14   16 , Jeong-Soo Im  17 , Hong Gwan Seo  14   16 , Sue K Park  1   2   18
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Preventable Cancers Caused by Infection in Korea From 2015 to 2030

Sungji Moon et al. J Korean Med Sci. .

Abstract

Background: To contribute to evidence-based cancer prevention policies, we conducted a systematic assessment to estimate the burden of infection-related cancers in South Korea. We estimated the population-attributable fraction (PAF) of each cancer attributable to the causally related infectious agents between 2015 and 2030.

Methods: The relative risks of cancer due to infectious agents were calculated using a meta-analysis of results from large-scale Korean cohort studies combined with results from a systematic review of South Korean studies. We calculated the attributable cancer incidence and mortality in 2015 and 2020 from nationwide cancer statistics, assuming a 15-year latency period, and projected them for 2025 and 2030.

Results: The estimated attributable cancer cases were 28,420 (13.18%) in 2015 and 26,368 (10.70%) in 2020 for all new cancer cases due to infectious agents. Attributable cancer deaths were 11,292 (14.74%) in 2015 and 9,969 (12.15%) in 2020 for all new cancer mortalities. Helicobacter pylori occupied the largest proportion of cancer incidence (5.93%), followed by hepatitis B virus (HBV) (2.45%) and human papillomavirus (HPV) (1.74%), and the first cause of cancer death was HBV (5.24%), followed by H. pylori (4.62%) and HPV (1.41%) in 2020. The PAFs were predicted to decline to 9.35% (2025) and 8.99% (2030) for incidence, and to 10.18% (2025) and 10.02% (2030) for mortality.

Conclusion: Fractions of cancer cases and mortality due to infectious agents are projected to decrease from 2015 to 2030. There should be adequate intervention from authorities to control H. pylori, HBV, and HPV and to reduce the cancer burden.

Keywords: 2015; 2020; Cancer; Infectious Agents; Population Attributable Fraction; South Korea.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. PAF for cancer cases and deaths due to infectious agents of South Korea in 2015 to 2030. By sex (A) and PAFs and their ACs by specific infectious agents (B).
PAF = population-attributable fraction, AC = attributable case, HBV = hepatitis B virus, HCV = hepatitis C virus, EBV = Epstein-Barr virus, HPV = human papillomavirus.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Comparison of PAFs of South Korea with those of other Asian countries and European countries for cancer cases and deaths. By (A) specific and (B) infectious agents for incidence PAF.
PAF = population-attributable fraction.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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