Infectious Diseases and HIV Conference

The interplay between infectious diseases and cancer represents a critical area of research of great importance in terms of public health implications. Some infectious agents have been implicated in the causation of cancer, and thus there is increased interest in understanding the role such agents play in tumor genesis.

The session, therefore, deals with infectious diseases in relation to cancer and includes mechanisms of action, prevention strategies, and where future directions in research are channeled. A subgroup of infectious agents, termed oncogenic pathogens, has been considered to play a role in the etiology of many cancers.

This lecture will review salient ones: viruses such as human papillomavirus, hepatitis B and C viruses, Epstein-Barr virus, and human immunodeficiency virus. You will gain how these viruses can stimulate cellular transformation resulting in malignancies like cervical, liver, or lymphoma cancers.

The immune system is critical not only in fighting infections but also in monitoring cell integrity, preventing the possible development of cells into tumors. This session will discuss how chronic infections can result in immune evasion and inflammation, an excellent anabolic environment for cancer to develop.

Participants will learn about the intricacies of the immune response regarding infectious diseases and cancer, their immune checkpoint, and, finally, the therapeutic potential of immunotherapy in the case of virus-associated cancers. Prevention of infection-related cancers is one of the most important public health activities.

This session would cover successful prevention strategies-including vaccine programs such as for HPV and HBV, aiming to reduce infectious diseases that increase one's risk for cancer; early detection and treatment of infections and screening for at-risk populations. The epidemiology of infection-related cancers varies by population and regional level. Socioeconomic factors lead to a substantial impact on the disease burden.

This session will consider the global health implications of infectious diseases and cancer, relative to improvement strategies for the reduction of health disparities and to increase access to preventive measures and treatments for enhancing health equity.

The session will end with topics on future directions in the field, including current research into the molecular mechanisms that connect infectious agents to cancer, potential personalized medicine approaches, and the micro biome’s role in modulating cancer risk.

This is an opportunity for all of us presenting here to learn better, through joint effort, about these complex interactions towards improvement in patient outcomes.

Therefore, it was a moment of profound reflection under this session which talked about critical interface between infectious diseases and cancer, where prevention research and public health measures were heavily implied in the battle against both.