A recent South Korean study published in late September is being misrepresented by vaccine opponents to promote the myth that COVID-19 vaccines cause or accelerate cancer. Several conspiracy and partisan news outlets falsely claimed that the study “proved” that COVID-19 vaccines caused a “spike” in cancer cases. In fact, the study’s findings do not support these claims. The authors observed that vaccinated people were more likely to be diagnosed with certain cancers within a year of vaccination, but noted that the timeline was “relatively short for evaluating cancer incidence.”
Experts and social media users pointed out that vaccinated groups are typically older and more likely to have health conditions that increase cancer risk, which likely explains the observed association.. The study authors also acknowledged potential “reverse causation or surveillance bias,” meaning that increased medical attention after vaccination could have led to more cancer detections.
Recommendation
False claims linking COVID-19 vaccines to cancer provide an opportunity to explain how scientific findings can be distorted to promote myths. Messaging may emphasize that the study’s authors refuted claims that vaccination causes cancer and that analysis of real-world data show no association between COVID-19 vaccination and cancer.
Fact-checking sources: Fact Crescendo, Full Fact
Communication resources: Find more talking points about COVID-19
