Tattoos May Increase Lymphoma Cancer Risk by 21%, Study Reveals

A new study has discovered that tattoos could increase lymphoma cancer risk.

For a long time, scientists have warned of the need to conduct more research on how tattoos affect health in the long run. Very little is currently known about the long-term health effects of getting inked.

Tattoos and Lymphoma Risk

As part of the study, researchers examined a group comprising 11,905 participants. They did this in order to explore whether tattoos could impact lymphoma risk.

Study Leader Christel Nielsen shared that they were able to identify individuals who received a lymphoma diagnosis through population registers. Such individuals were then with a control group that covered participants with the same age and sex but did not have lymphoma.

Participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding lifestyle factors in order to see if they got inked or not.

After they accounted for other factors, such as age and smoking, the researchers discovered that lymphoma risk was 21% higher for those with tattoos. Findings were noted in "Tattoos as a risk factor for malignant lymphoma: a population-based case-control study."

Though the underlying mechanisms behind this remain a mystery. Nielsen said it could be associated with how the body responds to the ink of the tattoo. It is already known that when tattoo ink gets injected into the skin, it gets interpreted by the body as something foreign. The immune system ends up getting activated.

A huge portion of the skin gets transported to the lymph nodes from the skin. This is where it gets deposited.

This made the researchers hypothesize that individuals with bigger tattoos had higher lymphoma risk compared to those with smaller ones. However, the study revealed that size did not play a role.

Nielsen said that they still do not know why this is the case. One may just speculate that tattoos could trigger low-grade inflammation in the body. This could end up triggering cancer.

The study's nature is associative. Further work is necessary to verify the findings and see if tattoo ink really causes heightened lymphoma risk. The researchers also hope to delve deeper into whether tattoos could heighten risk of inflammatory conditions and other cancers.

Nielsen shared that it is likely that people will keep on wanting to use tattoos as a form of identity expression. Hence, this makes it important to ensure that tattoos are safe.

Lymphoma

Lymphoma refers to blood cancers within the lymphatic system, which is part of the disease-fighting and germ-fighting immune system of the body. The lymphatic system also includes lymph nodes, which can be found in the neck, underarms, chest, groin, pelvis, and abdomen.

This cancer has two different types, namely, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma.

While the condition is mainly a cancer of the lymphatic system, it is considered a type of blood cancer since it originates in the lymphatic system's white blood cells, or lymphocytes.

Symptoms and signs of lymphoma could include fatigue, fever, night sweats, chest pain, abdominal pain, bone pain, itchy skin, painless lymph node swelling, and unintentional weight loss.

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