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Abstract: 

mRNA vaccines are emerging as a potentially powerful new approach to cancer treatment, with clinical trials targeting cancers ranging from melanoma and glioblastoma to breast, lung, and prostate cancer. Yet their promise may be threatened by misinformation carried over from controversies surrounding COVID-19 vaccines. Health communication researcher Dannell D. Boatman examines the unsupported “turbo cancer” narrative, which falsely links mRNA vaccination to aggressive cancers, and explains how repetition, anecdotal claims, and scientific-sounding language can give misinformation credibility online. The article argues that realizing the lifesaving potential of mRNA cancer vaccines will require not only continued scientific advances, but proactive communication capable of building and maintaining public trust.

Keywords: mRNA Cancer Vaccines; Cancer Immunotherapy; Health Misinformation; Vaccine Misinformation; Public Trust; Health Communication

Affiliations:  1: West Virginia University.