Are COVID vaccines known to be linked to increased risks for cancer?
COVID vaccines are neither linked to increased rinks for cancer nor can cause cancer, according to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
False claims about COVID vaccines and cancer arose after Sloan Kettering researchers discovered that “messenger RNA inactivates tumor-suppressing proteins.” While the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines rely on mRNA to function, mRNA molecules that “inactivate tumor-suppressing proteins” are not the same ones found in mRNA-based vaccines. Thus, the vaccines do not deactivate any proteins that would stop the creation of tumors.
The claim was initially spread by Natural News, a far-right-leaning website known to spread and promote anti-vax conspiracy theories. The claim has been refuted by Sloan Kettering itself, with the institute noting that because the vaccines do not interact with or alter one’s DNA, they could not possibly cause cancer.