Tattoos linked to 21% higher risk of malignant lymphoma, says new study

This may make you think before inking. A study of people in Sweden found that those who got tattoos were 21% more likely to later be diagnosed with malignant lymphoma. And this was a case where size didn’t matter, at least the size of the tattoo did. The risk didn’t seem to go up or down depending on how big or small the tattoo was in the study recently published in the journal eClinical Medicine.

Lymphoma is a form of cancer in which cells in your lymphatic system change and begin to grow in an uncontrolled manner. Your lymphatic system is part of your immune system that protects against germs and diseases, like a combination Roomba sewer security system. This system includes a number of body parts that you might not think about every day: your spleen, your thymus, your tonsils, your bone marrow, and a connected network of lymphatic channels and lymph nodes located in various parts of your abdomen, groin, and pelvis. , chest, armpits and neck. Different forms of lymphoma can occur in any part of this system and fall into two main subcategories: Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

For the study, conducted in 2021, three researchers from Lund University in Lund, Sweden (Christel Nielsen, Mats Jerkeman and Anna Saxne Jöud) first used the Swedish National Cancer Registry to find anyone aged 20 to 60 who had been diagnosed with malignant lymphoma had been stated. sometime between 2007 and 2017. Then, for each of these lymphoma cases, the researchers used the Total Population Register to find three randomly selected controls with matched ages and genders. This yielded an initial study population of 11,905 people in total.

The researchers then sent each of these people a questionnaire that asked a series of tattoo-relevant questions, such as whether the person had tattoos, when they got them and how big they were – meaning the tattoos. Ultimately, 54% of cases (1398) and 47% of controls (4193) responded to the questionnaire.

It was found that a higher percentage of cases (21% versus 18%) had gotten tattoos than controls. And those who were tattooed were 21% more likely to develop lymphoma. The largest risk increases were for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (a 30% higher probability) and follicular lymphoma (a 29% higher probability).

The risk of developing lymphoma was highest within the first two years after the person got a tattoo (81% higher than in those who did not get a tattoo), decreased over the intervening three to ten years, and then increased again after the 11-11-2011. year mark (19% higher than those who did not get a tattoo).

Please note that this type of research cannot prove cause and effect. It can only show associations. While getting a tattoo was associated with a higher risk of developing lymphoma regardless of the size of the tattoo, you have to wonder what else might have been different about those who happen to get tattoos. Did they somehow have different diets, different exposures, different amounts of stress, or something else?

Moreover, one study is not enough to even confirm a link. More epidemiological studies are needed to see if tattooing is indeed linked to lymphoma and other health problems. And more other types of studies, such as laboratory and clinical studies, could help show whether there is actually a cause-and-effect situation.

Nevertheless, it is likely that the tattooing process can lead to lymphoma. After all, you might not be entirely aware of the gunk being injected into you when you get that picture of a hedgehog bowling permanently printed on your arm. Tattoo ink may consist of several carcinogenic and potentially carcinogenic substances, such as primary aromatic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and various metals such as arsenic, chromium, cobalt, lead, and nickel. Yep, getting that tattoo of Justin Bieber’s face planted on your butt might just give you more than Bieber fever.

Additionally, the tattoo ink injected into you can trigger a response from your immune system that in turn carries the ink from where it was injected to its final resting place. This means that your lymphatic system becomes involved. In fact, research has shown that tattoo ink can be found in your lymph nodes long after you get a tattoo.

Now it’s not clear what percentage of people who get tattoos will develop lymphoma. Lymphoma is not a common cancer. That’s what the American Cancer Society estimates the chance of a man developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma during his lifetime is about one in 42, while the chance for a woman is slightly lower: about one in 52. Meanwhile, tattooing is much more common; 32% of Americans suffer from it. received some kind of ink and 22% received more than one, according to the Pew Research Center. You might say: Pew, tatts are quite common, but lymphoma not so common.

As tattooing becomes more common, it is necessary to evaluate what risks are currently associated with this practice. A number of tattoo parlors out there today don’t exactly scream quality control and evidence-based practice. So it would be useful to ask important questions such as how the tattooing process can increase or decrease the risk and whether there are alternative types of ink that may not contain carcinogens? In the meantime, keep in mind the potential long-term effects of everything you do to your body, along with the possibility that an “Adam loves Brittany” tattoo won’t necessarily be applicable in a few years. What happens in Vegas and just under your skin doesn’t necessarily have to stay in that one place under your skin.