Parasites and cancer relationship: It's complicated.

Do anti parasitic drugs knock it out or do parasites help? PREMIUM CONTENT subscriber access

It is well established that chronic infection/inflammation can lead to cancer and that includes parasitic infections. For example liver flukes can stimulate the growth of biliary tract cancers.

Schematic 3D model of Toxoplasma gondii inside a host cell. (CREDIT: University of Nottingham)

But the opposite is also true. That is, infection with parasites can stimulate the death of cancer cells.

BE Callejas et al.