Vaccines causing 'turbo cancer'? How fake science is spreading online

Even after the coronavirus pandemic, anti-vaccination activists are still active on social media, spreading rumours of allegedly severe side effects from vaccines and raising fears of "turbo cancer". Is there any truth to their claims and can vaccines raise cancer risk? Berlin (dpa) – Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, claims that vaccines can cause severe disease have been widespread on social media, with sceptics raising the alarm about what they call "turbo cancer". Recently, the anti-vaccine scene has been referring to a study that purports to link Covid-19 vaccinations to certain tumours. Asked whether vaccinations are currently linked to serious illnesses such as cancer, immunologist Carsten Watzl replied with a clear "No." He said the roots of the claim, especially for coronavirus vaccines, go back to the technology used to develop them. Because they are based on the virus’s genetic information, a theory arose that this genetic material would integrate into the genome of human cells, Watzl explained. Many anti-vaxxers say this leads to mutations that supposedly turn these cells into cancer cells. Although there were early explanatory approaches, he said it took well-conducted epidemiological studies to refute this. Cancer from coronavirus vaccination? A misinterpreted study A study has recently put fresh wind in vaccine opponents’ sails. The paper, published in the journal Biomarker Research, examined prostate, lung and thyroid cancer diagnoses among vaccinated and unvaccinated people in South Korea. The study shows a statistical association between vaccination and cancer diagnoses, but that does not mean the vaccination is the cause. A warning to review the study’s findings for methodological shortcomings was already added in autumn 2025. "Vaccinated people tend to be older and have pre-existing conditions," Watzl said. That is generally associated with a higher cancer risk. If there are more frequent doctor visits and check-ups, possible diseases such as cancer are detected earlier. This explains why more diagnoses appear in the study’s data among vaccinated people. They were not triggered by the vaccination, but merely identified earlier. The authors note this effect themselves. The South Korean study has been critically assessed by experts worldwide. Watzl pointed to another study from France in which vaccinated and unvaccinated people were better matched. The result was that cancer-related deaths in the vaccinated group were not higher. Medical misinformation: Who wants to achieve what? Laypeople and amateurs are chiefly behind myths like these, says Jan-Henning Steeneck, a lawyer in Germany who wrote a doctoral thesis on medical misinformation on social media. These people create content without medical qualifications and without editorial standards, Steeneck says, describing them as "new actors in science communication". According to him, further sources include former experts and doctors whose formal scientific background lends such myths a veneer of legitimacy. Celebrities and politicians use their reach to amplify such narratives, Steeneck explains. Multipliers share this content online and thereby become producers themselves. The legal researcher says there are different reasons why such content is spread, and malicious intent is not always one of them. A significant share, such as parents in private chat groups, consider the information true and act out of misdirected concern or a desire to help. However, there are also actors who earn money by spreading misinformation or who pursue ideological and political goals to undermine trust in governments, authorities or science, he said. ‘Turbo cancer’ myth resurfaces again and again The term "turbo cancer" repeatedly crops up on social media posts raising the alarm about a supposed link between coronavirus vaccinations and a sharp increase in cancer risk. Used for years in anti-vax circles, the phrase is meant to imply more aggressive types of tumour that allegedly spread faster than previously known. The claim is false and the term is not a medically recognised technical expression. Neither medical societies nor public institutions use "turbo cancer" in the context of the disease. According to dpa research, the coinage originated with a lawyer. Watzl points to 2021, when more than 60 million people in Germany alone were vaccinated against coronavirus. After that, he said, cancer rates did not shoot up. Even after the administration of billions of doses worldwide, there is no scientific evidence that vaccines have triggered more cases of cancer, the German national health body Robert Koch Institute (RKI) says. Some vaccinations even have the opposite effect. According to the RKI, they protect against infections that can cause cancer. The HPV vaccination can thereby prevent, among other things, the development of cervical cancer, and the hepatitis B vaccination can prevent the emergence of liver cancer. The following information is not intended for publication dpa mfl yyzz a3 may

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