Epidemiological studies have found an inverse association between acute infections and cancer development.
Exposures to febrile infectious childhood diseases were associated with subsequently reduced risks for melanoma, ovary, and multiple cancers combined…
Epidemiological studies on common acute infections in adults and subsequent cancer development found these infections to be associated with reduced risks for meningioma, glioma, melanoma and multiple cancers combined…
Overall, risk reduction increased with the frequency of infections, with febrile infections affording the greatest protection.
Infections may play a paradoxical role in cancer development with chronic infections often being tumorigenic and acute infections being antagonistic to cancer.