Cancer Risk and Prevention

Infectious Agents

In the United States and other developed countries, a small portion of cancers are linked to infections. Learn more about some of the infectious agents linked to cancer.

Infections that can lead to cancer

Get an overview of how infection with certain viruses, bacteria, and other germs might increase a person's risk for certain types of cancer.

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HIV infection and cancer

In general, people who have an advanced stage of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection or AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) are at higher risk for some types of cancer. Learn how HIV infection can lead to cancer and what can be done to lower cancer risk.


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Know Your Cancer Risk
Take the ACS CancerRisk360™ assessment to learn more about what you can change to improve your health. By taking 5 minutes to answer a few questions, we will give you a personalized roadmap of actions with helpful resources you can use to lower your risk of cancer.

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