Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Can Vaccines Cause Cancer?

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Vaccinophobia and Vaccine Controversies of the 21st Century

  • 3732 Accesses

Abstract

The allegation that vaccines cause cancer pits science and evidence against Internet mythology and out-of-context information. Theories espoused on the Internet flourish suggesting a link between rises in cancer rates with an increase in the distribution of vaccines. None of the theories are based on scientific evidence. Every day we know more about what actually causes cancer, how vaccines can prevent cancer and sometimes even treat cancer, and how vaccines are studied carefully for any adverse effects and continue to be improved. This chapter will describe the infectious causes of cancers, discuss vaccines that can prevent infections and thereby prevent cancer, describe vaccines used to treat cancer, and finally, provide facts to dispute the controversies and myths associating vaccines with the development of cancers.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 139.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 179.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Porta C, Riboldi E, Sica A. Mechanisms linking pathogens-associated inflammation and cancer. Cancer Lett. 2011;305:250–62.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Vatanasapt V, Uttaravichien T, Mairiang E-O, et al. Cholangiocarcinoma in north-east Thailand. Lancet. 1990;335:116–7.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Kim HG, Han J, Kim M-H, et al. Prevalence of clonorchiasis in patients with gastrointestinal disease: a Korean nationwide multicenter survey. World J Gastroenterol. 2009;15:86–94.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Mostafa MH, Sheweita SA, O’Connor PJ. Relationship between schistosomiasis and bladder cancer. Clin Microbiol Rev. 1999;12:97–111.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Hill AB. The environment and disease: association or causation? Proc R Soc Med. 1965;58:295–300.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Sarid R, Gao SJ. Viruses and human cancer: from detection to causality. Cancer Lett. 2011;305:218–27.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Bouvard V, Baan R, Straif K, et al. A review of human carcinogens-part B: biological agents. Lancet Oncol. 2009;10:321–2.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Bouchard MJ, Navas-Martin S. Hepatitis B and C virus hepatocarcinogenesis: lessons learned and future challenges. Cancer Lett. 2011;305:123–43.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Bosch FX, Lorincz A, Meijer CJLM, Shah KV. The causal relation between human papillomavirus and cervical cancer. J Clin Pathol. 2002;55:244–65.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Walboomers JMM, Jacobs MV, Manos MM, et al. Human papilloma-virus is a necessary cause of invasive cervical cancer worldwide. J Pathol. 1999;189:12–9.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Korzeniewski N, Spardy N, Duensing A, Duensing S. Genomic instability and cancer: lessons learned from human papillomaviruses. Cancer Lett. 2011;305:113–22.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Garland SM. Human papillomavirus update with a particular focus on cervical disease. Pathology. 2002;34:213–24.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Cesarman E, Chang Y, Moore PS, Said JW, Knowles DM. Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus-like DNA sequences in AIDS-related body-cavity-based lymphomas. N Engl J Med. 1995;332:1186–91.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Shah KV. SV40 and human cancer: a review of recent data. Int J Cancer. 2007;120:215–23.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Franco EL, Harper DM. Vaccination against human papillomavirus infection: a new paradigm in cervical cancer control. Vaccine. 2005;23:2388–94.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Villa LL. HPV prophylactic vaccination: the first years and what to expect from now. Cancer Lett. 2011;305:106–12.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Ma B, Xu Y, Hung C-F, Wu T-C. HPV and therapeutic vaccines: where are we in 2010? Curr Cancer Ther Rev. 2010;6:81–103.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Trunz BB, Fine PEM, Dye C. Effect of BCG vaccination on childhood tuberculous meningitis and miliary tuberculosis worldwide: a meta-analysis and assessment of cost-effectiveness. Lancet. 2006;367:1173–80.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Zbar B, Rapp HJ. Immunotherapy of guinea pig cancer with BCG. Cancer. 1974;34:1532–40.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Morales A, Eidinger D, Bruce AW. Intracavitary bacillus Calmette-Guérin in the treatment of superficial bladder tumors. J Urol. 1976;116:180–3.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Sylvester RJ. Bacillus Calmette-Guérin treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. Int J Urol. 2011;18:113–20.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Jemal A, Siegel R, Xu J, Ward E. Cancer statistics, 2010. CA Cancer J Clin. 2010;60:277–300.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Luo Y, Henning J, O’Donnell MA. Th1 cytokine-secreting recombinant Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin and prospective use in immunotherapy of bladder cancer. Clin Dev Immunol. 2011;2011:728930.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Gontero P, Bohle A, Malmstrom P-U, et al. The role of bacillus Calmette-Guerin in the treatment of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Eur Urol. 2010;57:410–29.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Diaz JA, Griffith RA, Ng JJ, Reinert SE, Friedmann PD, Moulton AW. Patients’ use of the internet for medical information. J Gen Intern Med. 2002;17:180–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Betsch C, Sachse K. Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? (How) the internet influences vaccination decisions: recent evidence and tentative guidelines for online vaccine communication. Vaccine. 2012;30:3723–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Cantwell A. Cancer-causing vaccines, Polio, AIDS, and monkey business. http://rense.com/general54/Cancer-causing_vaccinesR.htm (2012). Accessed 27 Feb 2012.

  28. Vaccines cause cancer: from hell to veins. http://gdsajj.wordpress.com/2010/06/27/vaccines-cause-cancer. http://orbisvitae.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=53487 (2012). Accessed 27 Feb 2012.

  29. Tanner R. Do vaccines cause cancer? Cancerous cell lines used in the development of vaccines. http://orbisvitae.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=53487 (2012). Accessed 27 Feb 2012.

  30. Goldmacher VS, Thilly WG. Formaldehyde is mutagenic for cultured human cells. Mutat Res. 1983;116:417–4122.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Ragan DL, Boreiko CJ. Initiation of C3H/10T1/2 cell transformation by formaldehyde. Cancer Lett. 1981;13:325–31.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Offit PA, Jew RK. Addressing parent’s concerns: do vaccines contain harmful preservatives, adjuvants, additives, or residuals? Pediatrics. 2003;122:1394–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Epidemiology of chronic occupational exposure to formaldehyde: report of the ad hoc panel on health aspects of formaldehyde. Toxicol Ind Health. 1988;4:77–90.

    Google Scholar 

  34. Til HP, Woutersen R, Feron VJ, et al. Two-year drinking-water study of formaldehyde in rats. Food Chem Toxicol. 1989;27:77–87.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. van der Kuyl AC, Cornelissen M, Berkhout B. Of mice and men: on the origin of XMRV. Front Microbiol. 2011;1:1–7.

    Google Scholar 

  36. Miyazawa T. Endogenous retroviruses as potential hazards for vaccines. Biologicals. 2011;38:371–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Eddy B, Borman G, Berkeley W, Young R. Tumors induced in hamsters by injection of rhesus monkey kidney cell extracts. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1961;107:191–7.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Butel JS, Lednicky JA. Cell and molecular biology of simian virus 40: implications for human infections and disease. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1999;91:119–34.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Carbone M, Rizzo P, Pass HI. Simian virus 40, polio vaccines and human tumors: a review of recent developments. Oncogene. 1997;15:1877–88.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Strickler HD, Rosenberg PS, Devesa SS, et al. Contamination of poliovirus vaccines with simian virus 40 (1955–1963) and subsequent cancer rates. JAMA. 1998;279:292–5.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Olin P, Giesecke J. Potential exposure to SV40 in polio vaccines used in Sweden during 1957: no impact on cancer incidence rates 1960 to 1993. Dev Biol Stand. 1998;94:227–33.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Carroll-Pankhurst C, Engles EA, Strickler HD, et al. Thirty-five year mortality following receipt of SV40-contaminated polio virus vaccine during the neonatal period. Br J Cancer. 2001;85:1295–7.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Engels EA, Rodman LH, Frisch M, et al. Childhood exposure to simian virus 40-contaminated poliovirus vaccine and risk of AIDS-associated non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Int J Cancer. 2003;106:283–7.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Rollison DE, Page WF, Crawford H, et al. Case–control study of cancer among US Army veterans exposed to simian virus 40-contaminated adenovirus vaccine. Am J Epidemiol. 2004;160:317–24.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. National Research Council. Immunization safety review: SV40 contamination of polio vaccine and cancer. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2002.

    Google Scholar 

  46. Poulin DL, DeCaprio JA. Is there a role for SV40 in human cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2006;24:4356–65.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  47. Lopez-Rios F, Illei PB, Ladanyi M. Evidence against a role for SV40 infection in human mesotheliomas and high risk of false-positive PCR results owing to presence of SV40 sequences in common laboratory plasmids. Lancet. 2004;364:1157–66.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  48. Silverman RH, Nguyen C, Weight CJ, Klein EA. The human retrovirus XMRV in prostate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome. Nat Rev Urol. 2010;7:392–402.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  49. Paprotka T, Delviks-Frankenberry KA, Cingoz O, et al. Recombinant origin of the retrovirus XMRV. Science. 2011. www.scienceexpress.org/31May2001/page1/10.1126/science.1205292

  50. Switzer WM, Zheng H, Simmons G, et al. No evidence of murine leukemia virus-related viruses in live attenuated human vaccines. PLoS One. 2011;6:e29223.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sections of Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Colorado, University of Colorado School of Medicine, 13123 East 16th Avenue B-276, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA

    Ann-Christine Nyquist M.D., M.S.P.H.

Authors
  1. Ann-Christine Nyquist M.D., M.S.P.H.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ann-Christine Nyquist M.D., M.S.P.H. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , School of Medicine, Creighton University, North 30th Street,Suite 6814 601, Omaha, 68131, Nebraska, USA

    Archana Chatterjee

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Nyquist, AC. (2013). Can Vaccines Cause Cancer?. In: Chatterjee, A. (eds) Vaccinophobia and Vaccine Controversies of the 21st Century. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7438-8_13

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7438-8_13

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-7437-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-7438-8

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation