A man, 65, developed a tumor linked to his COVID-19 vaccine

Published 12/29/23 Mansur Shaheen

Aman developed a tumor on his left shoulder linked to his receipt of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a new report.

Published earlier this month in the American Journal of Case Reports, researchers at the University of California Riverside (UCR) linked the development of a tumor in an unnamed man, 65, to the shot he had received 3 months earlier.

He experienced pilomatrixoma, or the growth of a benign tumor out of a hair follicle. In the report, researchers say that injected vaccines can often cause these benign tumors to grow because injections can injure the skin cells, which can sometimes lead to the development of a tumor.

While this is a risk with all vaccine injections, researchers do not recommend against getting vaccinated. Instead they believe doctors should keep an eye out for these complications after receiving a shot.

“Enhanced awareness about this condition can substantially improve pilomatrixoma diagnosis accuracy and reduce unnecessary examinations and treatments,” the UCR team writes.

Cases are most likely to appear in people under the age of 20, and are slightly more common in women than men. It usually occurs in the head and neck region. Doctors often misdiagnose the condition, with them being correctly spotted in as little as just 12.5% of cases, the researchers continue.