Tag: cancer

Turbo cancer?

Do COVID-19 vaccines cause “turbo cancer”?

Over the last several months, antivaxxers have been claiming that COVID-19 vaccines cause "turbo cancer", cancers (or cancer recurrences) of a particularly aggressive and fast-growing variety diagnosed in younger and younger patients. "Turbo cancer" is not a thing, and the evidence cited is as weak as any antivax "evidence", including anecdotes and misinterpretation of epidemiology.

/ December 19, 2022
Acupuncture

ASCO endorses “integrative oncology” quackery for cancer pain

Last week, the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Society for Integrative Oncology published guidelines for treating cancer pain. These guidelines endorsed quackery like reflexology and acupuncture. The infiltration of quackademic medicine continues apace in oncology.

/ November 21, 2022

Using Viruses to Treat Cancer

Engineering viruses to target cancer cells is an emerging and promising avenue for cancer treatment.

/ September 28, 2022

Is Olive Oil Good Medicine?

A study found that olive oil increased longevity and reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other chronic diseases, but it only showed correlation, not causation.

/ August 23, 2022
The Cow-Pock

The return of the revenge of “COVID-19 mRNA vaccines permanently alter your DNA” and “lab leak”

Claims that COVID-19 vaccines "permanently alter your DNA" or that SARS-CoV-2 was engineered in a lab were resurrected last week based on two dubious studies. No matter how many times you think these myths have been debunked, they always come back for another installment of the same misinformation franchise.

/ February 28, 2022
How the DMED works

Antivaxxers misuse the Defense Medical Epidemiology Database to demonize COVID-19 vaccines

Over the last couple of weeks, a claim that the Defense Medical Epidemiology Database (DMED) shows that COVID-19 vaccines have caused a massive increase in cancer, neurological, and cardiovascular diseases in military personnel has gone viral. A closer look shows that the increases are almost certainly spurious and due to underreporting in previous years.

/ February 7, 2022

Poor Science Reporting and Premature Enthusiasm

Press releases often outpace the data. Here are some examples of over-enthusiastic reporting on extremely preliminary research.

/ December 21, 2021

We are not “losing the war on cancer” (belated 2021 edition)

The narrative we hear time and time again is that we are "losing the war on cancer". The latest cancer statistics show that this narrative is not true.

/ July 19, 2021

Artificial Sweeteners – A Free Lunch, or an Obesogenic Carcinogen? What 80+ Studies Say (part 2 of 2)

In the second and final chapter of this two part series, I conclude my exploration of the impact of artificial sweeteners on obesity, diabetes, the gut microbiome, and cancer.

/ June 4, 2021

A Worthless Acupuncture Study in Cancer Patients

This study does not test the efficacy of acupuncture and was never designed to do so.

/ March 24, 2021