A recent study has revealed that getting tattoos could increase the risk of lymphoma.
The research published in eClinical Medicine indicates that tattoo increases the risk of lymphoma by 21%.
Some tattoo inks contain carcinogenic substances. When the body recognizes these ink particles as foreign objects, it attempts to remove them. During this process, the tattoo ink travels from the skin throughout the body, accumulating in the lymph nodes. The pigments stored in the lymph nodes remain there permanently.
However, the potential impact of tattoos on cancer development has not been thoroughly studied.
A research team from Lund University in Sweden analyzed Swedish National Lung Cancer Registry data to investigate the carcinogenic risk of toxic chemicals in tattoo ink stored in lymph nodes.
The team recruited 1,398 patients aged 20-60 diagnosed with lymphoma between 2007 and 2017. They then linked each patient with three control subjects, comparing the 1,398 lymphoma patients with 4,193 control subjects without lymphoma.
The analysis showed that 21% of lymphoma patients had tattoos, compared with 18% of the control group. Notably, the risk of developing lymphoma within two years after getting a tattoo was 81% higher compared to those without tattoos. While the risk of lymphoma decreased between 3-10 years after getting a tattoo, it increased again 11 years later, with a 19% higher risk.
Overall, participants with tattoos had a 21% higher risk of developing lymphoma. Interestingly, the size of the tattoo did not influence the risk.
The types of lymphoma most significantly increased by the effects of tattoos were Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma and Follicular lymphoma.
The research team minimized the impact of socioeconomic status and lifestyle habits, such as education level, economic status, smoking, and marital status, on the study results. However, they did not investigate why tattoos increase the risk of lymphoma.
Experts noted that while the research team considered various variables and that tattoos themselves are a risk factor for lymphoma, the lifestyle habits of participants with tattoos could also have contributed to the increased risk. They emphasized the need for further investigation into the carcinogenic risk of tattoos.
The research team noted that lymphoma is a rare disease, and a 21% increase in risk is not a cause for significant concern. However, they advised those with tattoos to be aware of the potential adverse effects on health and seek medical advice if symptoms related to tattoos arise.
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