Turbo cancer is ananti-vaccination conspiracy theory[1] alleging that people vaccinated againstCOVID-19, especially withmRNA vaccines, are suffering from a high incidence of fast-developingcancers. Although the idea has been spread by a number of vaccine opponents, including several health professionals,[2] turbo cancer is not supported bycancer research, and there is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccination causes or worsens cancer.[3][4][5]
Claims
Opponents of COVID-19 vaccines such as Florida surgeon generalJoseph Ladapo have claimed that trace amounts of contaminantDNA present alongside the vaccine'smRNA could integrate in the patient's genome, activatingoncogenes responsible for cancer. In response,Céline Gounder pointed out that trace DNA exists in virtually every product originating fromcell cultures, and thatDNA vaccines are not known to cause cancer despite containing much higher amounts of DNA.[6] According to the USNational 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".[5]
Examples of claims
A paper by antivaccine activistsStephanie Seneff,Peter McCullough and others claimed suppression oftype 1 interferon could result in immune suppression that could promote cancer proliferation.[7] The study suggested hypothetical disease mechanisms linking mRNA vaccines to various pathologies through immune suppression. It used onlyanecdotal reports fromVAERS as evidence, and was described by Jeffrey Morris as "shifting the burden of proof" by asking public health institutions to either prove the impossibility of these mechanisms or accept them.[8]
Similarly, aFrontiers in Oncology paper discussing alaboratory mouse dying oflymphoma after being injected with thePfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was claimed to prove the existence of turbo cancer. However, the study in question did not claim any causality between the two events. Notably, the type of mouse used in the study had a higher predisposition tosarcomas and lymphomas, with that specific individual having shown signs of preexisting cancer such as weight loss before the vaccine injection. The setup of the study was also criticized, as it differed from human vaccinations in the method of injection (intravenous rather thanintramuscular) anddose in proportion to body weight (480 to 600 times higher).[9][10][11] The authors later added that their findings were "largely misinterpreted".[12]
