Turbo cancer

Turbo cancer is an anti-vaccination myth[1] centred on the idea that people vaccinated against COVID-19, especially with mRNA vaccines, are suffering from a high incidence of fast-developing cancers. The myth, spread by a number of vaccine opponents and related influencers including doctors,[2] has no factual basis.[3][1]

In late 2020, as COVID-19 vaccines were emerging, antivaccine doctors and social media personalities began circulating the unfounded idea that people vaccinated against COVID-19 were developing rapidly-spreading cancers.[1] These claims have tended to misrepresent single case reports or speculate based on anecdotes. David Gorski summarized the "turbo cancer" phenomenon as "the usual misinformation techniques used by antivaxxers: Citing anecdotes, wild speculation about biological mechanisms without a firm basis in biology, and conflating correlation with causation."[1]

According to the US National Cancer Institute, "[t]here is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer, lead to recurrence, or lead to disease progression. Furthermore, COVID-19 vaccines do not change your DNA".[4]

Examples

A paper by antivaccine scientists Stephanie Seneff, Peter McCullough and others claimed suppression of type 1 interferon could result in immune suppression that could promote cancer proliferation.[5] The study suggested hypothetically possible disease mechanisms using only anecdotal reports from VAERS as evidence, and was described as "shifting the burden of proof".[6] Similarly, there are claims that a paper discussing a mouse dying of lymphoma "proves" the existence of turbo cancer. This is untrue.[7][8][9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Gorski, David (19 December 2022). "Do COVID-19 vaccines cause "turbo cancer"?". Science-Based Medicine.
  2. ↑ "False claims persist about COVID-19 vaccine-linked "turbo cancers"". Public Health Communication Collaborative (PHCC). 2023-08-18. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  3. ↑ "Fact Check-No evidence COVID-19 vaccines cause 'turbo cancer'". Reuters. Reuters. 14 December 2022.
  4. ↑ "COVID-19 Vaccines and People with Cancer - NCI". www.cancer.gov. 10 February 2021.
  5. ↑ Seneff, Stephanie; Nigh, Greg; Kyriakopoulos, Anthony M.; McCullough, Peter A. (June 2022). "Innate immune suppression by SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccinations: The role of G-quadruplexes, exosomes, and MicroRNAs". Food and Chemical Toxicology. 164: 113008. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2022.113008. PMC 9012513. PMID 35436552.
  6. ↑ Morris, Jeffrey (21 April 2022). "Does McCullough's paper really "establish a mechanistic framework" for mRNA vaccine harm?". Covid-19 Data Science.
  7. ↑ Yandell, Kate (31 August 2023). "COVID-19 Vaccines Have Not Been Shown to Cause 'Turbo Cancer'". FactCheck.org.
  8. ↑ "Paper does not prove Pfizer mRNA vaccine causes 'turbo cancer'". Fact Check. AFP. 21 July 2023.
  9. ↑ "Claim linking Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, cancer in mouse distorts study | Fact check". USA TODAY.
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