Can vaccines cause cancer?

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.