It’s a typical day in early February. You’re scrolling on social media, liking every other post that slips past your fingers. But wait a second … suddenly there’s a cure for cancer?
On Jan. 22, 2026, the United States withdrew from the World Health Organization. A process that took a year since President Trump signed Executive Order 14155 in the beginning of his second term.
Now in February, announcements of groundbreaking cancer research have gone viral on social media, sparking theories about the studies emerging due to the U.S. departure.
But are these claims true, or is this just a big coincidence?
Following Trump’s inauguration in January of last year, the order was signed into effect, enabling the beginning steps for the U.S. to formally leave the WHO.
Trump was motivated by the WHO’s lack of accountability, transparency, delayed action and poor communication in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. The WHO also struggled to govern limitations and uphold vaccine equity.
Nonetheless, it was a highly disputed move on America’s part. And now, a year later, cancer research has been published. There are “cures” for multiple forms of one of the most evil diseases to walk this planet.
For instance, a Vietnamese medical team found a promising treatment for blood cancer. The treatment, referenced as CAR-T cell therapy, was approved in 2017 and has existed for many years prior to the U.S. leaving the WHO.
Now, users of X have spoken out about their opinions on such coincidences.
“My theory is the USA’s presence in the WHO was merely just there to stunt the growth of medical science,” @zcorxcc tweeted. “And to keep a finger on the pulse of new and inventive medication, so that they knew what was being developed and could plan on how to monetize it before public knowledge.”
Other users have written that they’re wanting to believe the conspiracy theorists more.
“ok i’m getting suspicious and i’m not ignoring the conspiracy theorists this time,” @gbennylola tweeted.
In reality, as bizarre as it would have been for so many cancers to be cured at once, multiple studies — not cures — from the past decades have gone viral at once because of World Cancer Day on Feb. 4.
One tweet by @Kekius_Sage stated the following: “BREAKING: 6 cancer cure claims suddenly went viral after the U.S. left the WHO.” The tweet contained a list of “cured” cancers, the supposed dates “cures” were found and emoji flags representing the countries attributed to those “cures.”
This tweet was posted on Feb. 8 and garnered over 200,000 likes and 16 million views. It listed pancreatic cancer, colon cancer, colorectal cancer, lung metastases, leukemia and HPV-related cancers. A Russian-manufactured cancer vaccine of “various types” was also listed.
Underneath the post, users replied with context and shared their own opinions:
“if you believe all these cures were discovered in the last 10 days you’re a f—ing moron,” @pissgenerat0r tweeted.
Another user, @A_Saints_Tale, replied with, “Seems like america really is holding the world back.”
In addition, a community note by contributor Beloved Vine Hawk acknowledged that they were “studies, not cures, and the dates are wrong.” The note included a list of the correct dates as well as links to published studies and articles.
Many people consider social media a reliable news source, despite its reputation for spreading misinformation. Social media creates echo chambers that fuel political polarization, prioritize creating engagement over accuracy and reward disingenuous or exaggerated content.
This leads to conspiracy theories. Whether it’s the Earth being flat or cancer being magically cured, people are so embittered that they’ll believe anything.
Don’t trust social media as your reliable news source. Branch out and research things before forming an opinion. Don’t automatically assume cancer is cured when there’s no evidence to back it up.
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TOP PHOTO: The allegation is that cancer research reached new levels of success after the United States left the World Health Organization. But are these assessments true? (Photo courtesy of Envato Elements)
Maggie Vander Ende is a staff writer for The Express. Follow her on Instagram @maggie.vanderende.
