covid vaccines cause breast cancer

Question

the covid 19 vaccine may cause breast cancer

Comments

My Claim after Fact Checking: After reading both of these articles by cancer.org and breastcancer.org it is explained that having breast cancer can weaken the covid 19 vaccine but in no way does the covid vaccine lead to breast cancer. The claim is that Covid vaccines cause breast cancer and there is just simply no evidence to that and it has actually been disproven.
https://www.breastcancer.org/managing-life/staying-well-during-covid-19/vaccine-facts

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/coronavirus-covid-19-and-cancer/covid-19-vaccines-in-people-with-cancer.html

Answer 1

Breast cancer cannot be caused by a COVID-19 vaccine.

This article mentions that immunocompromised people may require additional vaccines due to having a weakened immune system from processes such as chemotherapy.

The article attached explicit: "There’s no evidence linking COVID-19 vaccines to cancer. Both the U.S. National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society report there’s no information that COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer. There’s also no evidence that suggests the vaccine can make cancer grow or come back (recur)."

The claim that "The [COVID-19] vaccine may cause breast cancer" by the original poster is blatantly disproven by the attached article.

This is also disproven by a different article written by American Cancer Society linked below:

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/coronavirus-covid-19-and-cancer/covid-19-vaccines-in-people-with-cancer.html

Answer 2

The claim of this post is false. In one section of the listed article (Can a COVID-19 vaccine affect mammogram results?), the evidence provided doesn't support the authors claim either- stating that the lymph nodes in the armpits can swell after vaccination and feel as if the patient has breast cancer which can lead to a false positive situation for diagnosis. An academic article published by the ScienceDirect journal goes further in detail as to why this phenomena may occur. The scientists tested six patients ranging from 61 to 75 in age, each with a previous history of breast cancer, and having recently gotten a COVID-19 vaccine; with the lymph node 'tumors' being in positive correlation with where the injection site of vaccine was (and negative correlation of where the patient's previous cancer was). 

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0093775421000695?via%3Dihub

Answer 3

This claim is false. The article that is linked in the authors posts states quite the opposite: "There’s no link between the COVID vaccines and breast cancer risk or developing breast cancer." They suggest people with immunocompromised to may have to have additional vaccines because of their immune systems being weakned by chemotherapy.

https://www.breastcancer.org/managing-life/staying-well-during-covid-19/vaccine-facts

Here is another article disaprovving the authors claim. They recommened cancer patients to take the Covid-19 vaccines and stay updated. Some patients may have to postpone a vaccine due to some cancer treatments wiping out their immune system.Doctors recommend if patient has breast cancer or a history of breast cancer to be vacccined on the opposite side.

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/coronavirus-covid-19-and-cancer/covid-19-vaccines-in-people-with-cancer.html

Answer 4

This claim is false. There is no evidence that suggests the COVID vaccine causes breast cancer.

The article that is linked does not support this claim and specifically mentions that breast cancer is not linked with the COVID vaccine. In fact, It mentions that if you have breast cancer, you should update your COVID vaccine to protect yourself from the virus.

 Although, it does mention that "If you’ve received treatment for breast cancer, and especially if you’ve had underarm lymph nodes removed, you could experience lymphedema or worsening of lymphedema as a side effect of a COVID vaccine.", but to lower this risk, you can ask to get the vaccine injected elsewhere and it's important to consult your other on where the vaccine can be injected. The CDC also has listed on their website that they reccommend the vaccine for anyone with a weak immune system and when and where to get vaccinated.

 “Staying up to Date with Covid-19 Vaccines.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/covid/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.

Answer 5

This claim is false. The article linked does not state that the vaccine might cause breast cancer. The article says, "There’s no evidence linking COVID-19 vaccines to cancer". It is explained that the U.S National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society report no information that connects breast cancer and the vaccine. 

Another source that proves this claim is false is: https://www.health.com/condition/infectious-diseases/coronavirus/covid-vaccine-lymph-node-breast-cancer

In this article, they say that the vaccine does not cause breast cancer but may "Swollen lymph nodes, like Moseley experienced, are instead a common side effect of vaccination that can remind you to check your breasts." Swollen lymph nodes can be a side effect after getting the vaccine, which might remind women to get a mammogram. However, there is no correlation between the results and getting a vaccine. The article explains that swollen lymph nodes are not a sign of breast cancer. 

Answer 6

"There is no link between the Covid 19 vaccine and breast cancer risk or developing breast cancer". This person used a source that makes that exact claim, it also says that the CDC suggests everyone over the age of 6 months get the covid vaccine. The article does mention a few side effects such as headache, chills, fever, tiredness, etc. None of those side effects seem nearly as detrimental as breast cancer.  

Source: https://www.breastcancer.org/managing-life/staying-well-during-covid-19/vaccine-facts

Answer 7

The COVID-19 vaccine will not cause breast cancer. The article linked in the original author's post has a line in the first paragraph proving this claim to be false. "There’s no link between the COVID vaccines and breast cancer risk or developing breast cancer."

Another article from UCLA Health, states that doctors found no correlation between the COVID-19 vaccine and breast cancer. They did find that it can affect mammogram results, but that is because a side effect of the vaccine is swollen lymph nodes, which is used to help identify cancerous cells.

https://www.breastcancer.org/managing-life/staying-well-during-covid-19/vaccine-facts

https://www.uclahealth.org/news/publication/covid-19-vaccine-can-affect-mammogram-result-most-cases

Answer 8

The claim that the Covid-19 vaccinaion may cause breast cancer is false. The article linked even mention that the Covid-19 vaccination may potentially require more vaccinations if the patient has a weak immune system. Which it brings up the fact that people going through breast cancer treatment will go through treatments such as chemotherapy which weaken the immune system.

The factcheck attached to this answer states the following: "There is no evidence to support a link between COVID-19 vaccines and cancer. Both the National Cancer Institute and American Cancer society have stated there is no information that suggests COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer."

There is no evidence that proves that the Covid-19 vaccination causes cancer and is not only proven by the article attached to the post, but also proven by cancer foundations in the United States.

Fact check post:
https://www.factcheck.org/2024/05/still-no-evidence-covid-19-vaccination-increases-cancer-risk-despite-posts/
American Cancer Society post:
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/coronavirus-covid-19-and-cancer/covid-19-vaccines-in-people-with-cancer.html

Answer 9

The claim "Covid vaccines cause breast cancer" is false. According to breastcancer.org, "While the Covid vaccine may cause mild side effects such as headaches, fever, chills, and joint pains that don't last for more than a couple days, There’s no evidence linking COVID-19 vaccines to cancer. Both the U.S. National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society report there’s no information that COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer. There’s also no evidence that suggests the vaccine can make cancer grow or come back (recur)."

Source: https://www.breastcancer.org/managing-life/staying-well-during-covid-19/vaccine-facts#

Answer 10

To determine if there's truly a connection between receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and a corresponding positive breast cancer diagnosis, I first looked at the primary source article in the original post, BreastCancer.org's "COVID-19 Vaccines and Breast Cancer: What You Need to Know" written by journalist Jamie DePolo. After clicking on the embedded link on the author's name, I was taken to BreastCancer.org's short biography page on DePolo. Holding the titled of Senior Editor at BreastCancer.org, DePolo's credited as being a communications manager at Michigan State University (MSU) and having received recognition from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) as well as the Lansing Addy award from the American Federation. Also, just 7 years ago, in 2017, DePolo, "...was named a Logan Science Journalism Fellow and was also appointed to the Cooper University Hospital Bioethics Committee" (BreastCancer.org). Given her both extensive as well as impressive resume, I feel confident that DePolo's commentary on the COVID-19 vaccine's supposed correspondence with breast cancer would portray much more true than false information. 

When reading the article, majority of its content pointed more so to the potential risks of getting the COVID-19 vaccine while actively having breast cancer, rather than implying their direct correspondence. For instance, DePolo mentioned that those who fall into the category of being "immunocompromised," such as people with asthma or patients actively seeking breast cancer treatment, should acquire medical advice from the primary care physician before deciding whether or not to be vaccinated (according to CDC guidelines). However, later in the article, DePolo explicitly states, as supported by the US National Cancer Institute and The American Cancer Society that, "[there's] no evidence linking COVID-19 vaccines to cancer [or] that suggests the vaccine can make cancer grow or come back..." (DePolo, 2024). 

As stated in the primary source, and further verified by the UCLA Health article, "COVID-19 vaccine can affect mammogram result, but in most case it is not a concern" by Melissa M. Joines MD and Hannah S. Milch MD of the hospital's Diagnostic Radiology Department, the main concern in this debate surrounds the mammogram process. After receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, some female patients began reporting what they believed to be the growth of a tumor in their breast, which ultimately resulted in a false positive mammogram result for breast cancer. Through screening however, these supposed lumps were proven to be the "...swelling of the axillary lymph nodes after vaccinations..." (DePolo, 2024) and posed no threat of breast cancer to the previously diagnosed patient. According the article from UCLA Health, "[over] the past months, radiologists have become more skilled in recognizing the possibility of vaccine-induced swelling...[additionally], the doctors stress that there is no correlation between the COVID-19 vaccine and breast cancer" (UCLA Health, Joines and Milch, 2021). 

Given all this, I can confidently say that the claim "Covid vaccines cause breast cancer" is entirely, and without a doubt, false.