If you get a COVID vaccine, will you get cancer?

The tweet above used one study to claim COVID vaccines cause cancer within six months. However, no research study has shown that.

But science is not based on one single study. Science is a process: a careful, ongoing way of learning about the world. Scientists test ideas, gather data, and repeat experiments to see if results hold up. When many experts review the evidence and come to similar conclusions, that’s called scientific consensus. This consensus helps guide public health decisions and medical advice.

Here’s your passage rewritten at about a sixth-grade reading level, with a neutral, professional, and friendly tone — plus explanations of scientific terms so a non-medical reader can easily follow along:

This claim sometimes comes from a concern that mRNA vaccines could change our DNA to cause cancer. But scientists have found no evidence that vaccines do either of these things.

Dr. Paul Offit explains that it’s nearly impossible for the tiny bits of genetic material (or DNA fragments) that may be present in vaccines to cause harm. Our cells have several built-in protection systems that make this kind of thing impossible:

1. Our cells destroy foreign DNA. Inside our cells is a jelly-like area called the cytoplasm. It contains immune defenses and special proteins called enzymes that quickly break down any DNA that doesn’t belong there.
2. DNA fragments can’t reach our genes. Our DNA is stored safely inside a part of the cell called the nucleus. The DNA fragments from vaccines don’t have the “entry code” needed to get through the wall that protects the nucleus.
3. They can’t attach to our DNA. Even if a fragment could reach the nucleus, it would still need a special enzyme called integrase to stick to our genes. The vaccine doesn’t contain this enzyme, so it’s like trying to glue something without any glue. It simply doesn’t work.

For these reasons, experts are confident that vaccines do not cause cancer.

In fact, some research has suggested the opposite of what the tweet claimed. Certain studies suggest that mRNA vaccines, like the ones used for COVID, could help the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells more effectively. Scientists are even studying how mRNA technology might be used in future cancer treatments. And we all hate cancer.