1-Year Risks of Cancers Associated with COVID-19 Vaccination

This retrospective cohort study, published in Biomarker Research (2025), investigates the one-year cancer risks associated with COVID-19 vaccination using South Korea’s National Health Insurance database, analyzing 8,407,849 vaccinated individuals from 2021–2023. Through propensity score matching and Cox proportional hazards models, the study identifies elevated risks for six cancers post-vaccination—thyroid (HR 1.351), gastric (HR 1.335), colorectal (HR 1.283), lung (HR 1.533), breast (HR 1.197), and prostate (HR 1.687)—with variations by vaccine type (mRNA, cDNA, or heterologous), sex, and age. Notably, mRNA vaccines were linked to thyroid, colorectal, lung, and breast cancers, while boosters increased gastric and pancreatic risks. Although causality is not established, the findings suggest potential vaccine-related oncogenic pathways, urging further mechanistic studies and highlighting the need for biomarker-driven surveillance to inform public health strategies.

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