A new study reveals a possible link between tattoos and cancer. Doctors send a warning. "They can affect your health".
A new study from Sweden finds that people with tattoos are 21% more likely to develop lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.
"It’s important to remember that lymphoma is a rare disease and that our results apply at group level", said Christel Nielsen, researcher at Lund University, who conducted the study.
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"The results now need to be verified and further investigated in other studies, and such research is ongoing", he added, according to NY Post.
For the study, published in eClinicalMedicine, 11,905 participants were directed to answer a questionnaire on lifestyle factors to determine if they had been tattooed. The risk associated with tattoo exposure appears to be highest for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (a curable, rapidly growing cancer that begins in white blood cells) and follicular lymphoma (an incurable slow-growing cancer).
"We already know that when tattoo ink is injected into the skin, the body interprets this as something foreign that shouldn’t be there, and the immune system is activated. Much of the ink is transported away from the skin to the lymph nodes, where it is deposited", Nielsen explained.
Nielsen’s team hypothesized that the size of the tattoo might affect the risk of lymphoma, but determined that this was not the case.
"It can only be speculated that a tattoo, regardless of its size, triggers low-grade inflammation in the body, which in turn can trigger cancer", Nielsen stated.
The researcher said his study emphasizes the importance of monitoring the chemical composition of tattoo inks. In the United States, nearly a third of adults have a tattoo, of which 22% have more than one.
The Food and Drug Administration believes that tattoo ink is a cosmetic product, and pigments are colouring additives.
The FDA states that, traditionally, it did not regulate the dye additives in tattoo ink pigments.
Nielsen’s team plans to look for links between tattoos and other cancers, as well as other inflammatory diseases. A study presented last year at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research found a potential link between having more large tattoos and the risk of blood cancer. The risk was particularly high for people who were tattooed at an early age.
"People will likely want to continue to express their identity through tattoos, and therefore it is very important that we as a society can make sure that this is safe", Nielsen said.
"As an individual, it’s good to know that tattoos can affect your health and that you should contact your healthcare provider if you have symptoms that you think may be related to your tattoo", he stated.
