Tattoos may cause blood cancer: Inkings – no matter how big – could be linked to tumours years later. SOPHIE FREEMAN reports

More than a quarter of Britons have a tattoo – whether for decorative or cosmetic purposes such as permanent make-up; or medical purposes, such as nipple tattoos after mastectomies.

Now a new study suggests that having a tattoo may increase the risk of a type of blood cancer called lymphoma, which affects around 14,000 people in Britain every year.

But should people be concerned?

In the new study, researchers from Lund University in Sweden found that people with tattoos had a 21 percent increased risk of lymphoma compared to people without.

The theory is that tattoos cause low-grade inflammation, a known precursor to cancer, but this is the first study to link tattoos.

Dr. Christel Nielsen, associate professor of epidemiology, says tattoo ink may contain substances linked to cancer (i.e. carcinogens), such as heavy metals

An earlier 2020 study found no such link, while 2011 research in The Lancet ruled that an apparent link with skin cancer was nothing more than coincidental.

For the latest study, the Lund University team looked at everyone in Sweden who had been diagnosed with lymphoma between the ages of 20 and 60 between 2007 and 2017 (1,398 people in total) – and compared the results with people who did not have cancer had .

Everyone filled out questionnaires about their lifestyle and whether they had tattoos – and if they did, how big the tattoo was, when they got it and whether they had it removed.

The results, published in the journal eClinicalMedicine, showed that the risk of lymphoma was highest in the first two years after getting a tattoo and then fell, but rose again 11 years later. Researchers had expected that larger tattoos would increase the risk, but this turned out not to be the case.

“One can only speculate that a tattoo, regardless of size, causes low-grade inflammation in the body, which in turn can cause cancer,” said lead researcher Dr. Christel Nielsen, associate professor of epidemiology.

She added 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’ – this is why the surrounding area becomes sore and inflamed for a while after getting a tattoo. .

Previous studies have shown that a large amount of tattoo ink is transported from the skin to the lymph nodes, the small bean-shaped structures that filter lymph (the fluid that surrounds all the cells in our body).

Tattoo ink can contain substances linked to cancer (i.e. carcinogens), such as heavy metals, and the cells in the lymph nodes are sensitive targets, says Dr. Nielsen.

She adds that it’s possible that those carcinogens change lymph node cells, causing lymphoma, or that the immune system’s response to ink is the cause.

But getting rid of tattoos may not be the solution.

‘A few in the study had undergone laser therapy [to remove tattoos]but for them the risk seemed to be significantly higher,” Dr. Nielsen to Good Health.

‘We know that the laser breaks down the stable pigments into smaller molecules that can be removed from the skin. The molecules formed are likely more toxic and reactive than the original pigments, and affect the lymphatic system in the same way as the pigments do.’

The study found the strongest link between two types of lymphoma: diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma, both forms of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Around 5,000 people are diagnosed with DLBCL in the UK every year; slower-growing follicular lymphoma affects about 2,300 people.

The Swedish researchers emphasized that the findings do not prove that tattoos cause lymphoma, but “suggest that tattooed individuals have an increased risk of lymphoma, underscoring the need for continued research into the long-term health effects of tattoos.” Now they are investigating whether tattoos increase the risk of other diseases, including skin cancer.

Dallas Pounds, director of services at the charity Lymphoma Action, said: ‘The research found that people with tattoos had a higher adjusted risk [risk after removing other factors that could alter the results] of lymphoma, and this varied depending on several factors, such as the type of lymphoma and the time since having tattoos.

‘However, an association does not indicate a causal relationship. For the average person, the risk of lymphoma is low, even when you take into account risk factors that increase the risk. The most important thing is to be vigilant for symptoms.”

The most common sign of lymphoma is swollen lymph nodes – a lump or lumps in the neck, armpit or groin – that last for more than a few weeks. (Most swollen lymph nodes are caused by the body’s normal response to fighting infection.)

Other symptoms include unexplained weight loss, night sweats, fatigue and itching without a rash.

Dr. Rachel Orritt, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: ‘There is not enough evidence to say that tattoos increase the risk of cancer in people and more research is needed.

‘This is a difficult area to research because there are many different ingredients in tattoo ink, making it difficult to understand the effects. If people are concerned about their risk of cancer, there are proven steps they can take to reduce this risk.

‘These include not smoking, eating a healthy and balanced diet and drinking less alcohol.’