Olga Monteagudo Piqueras
Head physician of the Preventive Medicine Department at Reina Sofía University General Hospital (Murcia) and associate professor in the Department of Social and Health Sciences at the University of Murcia
This is a study of high scientific quality that updates estimates of cancer cases attributable to infections worldwide, not only in terms of the time frame but also by extending the scope of the analysis to include other infectious agents (for example, HIV and Merkel cell polyomavirus) and causal associations (for example, the Epstein-Barr virus and gastric cancer) not covered in previous studies.
Based on the results, the study highlights the existence of preventive strategies (vaccination, early detection and prophylaxis) for these infections, the cost-effectiveness of which has been extensively demonstrated and well established.
Overall, this study highlights the need to strengthen and improve the implementation of established preventive strategies in low- and middle-income countries and to continue, improve and develop new prevention strategies globally.