Simple Summary
Between 2021 and 2024, large segments of the population—including cancer patients— experienced multiple COVID-19 infections and received repeated doses of mRNA vaccines. The concomitant increase in newly diagnosed cancers or fast progression of cancers under treatment raised concerns about whether SARS-CoV-2 or the vaccines might play a role in these outcomes. While it appears extremely unlikely that SARS-CoV-2 and anti-COVID-19 mRNAvaccines can elicit genotoxic events causing neo-cancerogenesis in a short time, they could still cause non-genotoxic pro-carcinogenic effects. Indeed, multiple molecular, cellular, and systemic mechanisms, including disruption of the immunosurveillance and induction of inflammation in the tumor microenvironment, disruption of autophagy and of tumor suppressor pathways, and activation of signaling involved in cell proliferation and cell migration, could synergistically lead to the awakening and fast growth of dormant microtumors, particularly in vulnerable individuals exposed to both repeated infections and vaccinations over a short time frame.
Abstract
To contrast the COVID-19 pandemic brought by the corona virus SARS-CoV-2, two mRNA based anti COVID-19 vaccines (by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) were made available relatively quickly and deployed worldwide based on an emergency approval. Being considered vulnerable and at risk of infection, cancer patients have been prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination and vaccinated repeatedly because of the short time protection provided by these vaccines. Recently, a surge in the incidence and rapid progression of cancers has been observed in many countries, which could (at least partially) represent cancers undiagnosed or untreated during the pandemic. It has also been suggested that the SARS-CoV-2 itself or even the anti-COVID-19 mRNA vaccines could have contributed to the recurrence and worse clinical outcome in cancer patients, given the high incidence of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients and that these patients have been vaccinated with priority several times and in a short period. Although it appears extremely unlikely that SARS-CoV-2 and anti-COVID 19 mRNAvaccines elicit genotoxic events and cause neo-cancerogenesis in a short time, they could still cause non-genotoxic pro-carcinogenic effects by triggering an exaggerated inflammatory reaction, compromising immune homeostasis, stimulating cell proliferation, and negatively affecting cellular stress response and damage repair machinery. This could result in the promotion of regrowth of dormant micrometastases or relapses of stable mini mal residual disease. Such a harmful outcome may likely result from a synergy between the
virus and the vaccine, especially in multi-vaccinated and multi-infected individuals. Here, I bring the cell pathologist’s point of view and discuss the multiple possible mechanisms by which the virus and the anti-COVID-19 mRNA vaccine might favor tumorigenesis. While a causal link cannot be established at this stage, knowledge of potential carcinogenic risks could help doctors and health policymakers take the best actions to protect vulnerable patients and convince the vaccine developer to design a vaccine free from such harm.
Keywords: COVID-19; mRNAvaccine; lipid nanoparticle; autophagy; tumor dormancy; epigenetics; tumor microenvironment; cytokines; tumor suppressors
/
