Tattoos may increase risk of deadly cancer -Study

If you are considering getting inked soon, it’s crucial to be aware of the findings of this significant study by a research team at Lund University, Sweden.

The findings shed light on a potential health risk associated with tattoos. The study found that individuals with tattoos stand a 21 per cent chance of having Lymphoma cancer.

Lymphoma is the sixth most common type of cancer overall. It develops in the lymphatic system (an extensive drainage network that helps keep bodily fluid levels in balance and defends the body against infections) when white blood cells mutate and multiply out of control.

The findings were published on 21 May in eClinicalMedicine, an open-access clinical journal.

Before arriving at their conclusions, the researchers analysed 11,905 participants to explore whether tattoos could impact the risk of developing lymphoma.

The researchers say the cause of the skin cancer was linked to the carcinogenic chemicals in the tattooing ink.

When the ink is injected into the skin, the body interprets it as foreign. Thus, the immune system reacts, causing low-grade inflammation that can cause cancer.

Pew Research Centre

The study included 11,905 Swedish people, 2,938 of whom had lymphoma between 20 and 60 years of age (‘cases’).

Of those participants, 54 per cent answered the questionnaire about tattoos; 47 per cent of the controls (those without lymphoma) did the same. Tattoo prevalence was 21 per cent among cases and 18 per cent among controls.

“After taking into account other relevant factors, such as smoking and age, we found that the risk of developing lymphoma was 21per cent higher among those who were tattooed,” Christel Nielsen, the lead researcher for Lund University, Sweden, said. “The results need to be verified and investigated further in other studies, and such research is ongoing.”

Because of this, the team had expected those with larger tattoos to be at a greater risk of lymphoma than those with smaller ones because their bodies have more ink to respond to.

However, the size did not matter.

This study has limitations, and further research is needed to understand the relationship between tattoos and lymphoma fully.

Tattoo ink and cancer

Over the years, scientists have noted that a tattoo alone is unlikely to cause skin cancer. Still, it’s essential to be aware of the potential risks associated with certain ingredients in tattoo ink.

For instance, different colours are created with variations in pigment and dilution, and some contain materials that may be considered carcinogenic, meaning they can potentially cause cancer. This is a key factor in the potential link between tattoos and lymphoma.

Some tattoo inks contain azo, which is also used in car paints. Red ink has also been studied for decades, with earlier research indicating an increased risk of liver cancer in rats exposed to red azo pigments.

Black inks are also considered a higher risk. Cancerorg,au reported a Trusted Source from the Australian government finding that 83% of the black inks tested contained polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a carcinogen.