In 2017, researchers at the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment discovered that ink entered the body and migrated to the lymphatic system in the form of nanoparticles. Until now, no incidence of this phenomenon had been established. However, a Swedish study now provides reasons for concern.
Researchers at Lund University have found a link between the popularity of tattoos and the increasing number of malignant lymphomas (cancers of the lymphatic system). They interviewed 11,905 individuals, 2,938 of whom, aged 20 to 60, had lymphoma. 21% of them had at least one tattoo, compared to 19% in the control group without lymphoma. The scientists participating in the study led by Christel Nielsen took into account gender, age and their consumption of tobacco or e-cigarettes. According to Christel Nielsen, “the risk of developing lymphoma is 21% higher in people with tattoos.”
The results do not establish a link between the number or size of tattoos and the presence of lymphomas. On the other hand, the risk of developing cancer seems particularly high during the first two years after getting a tattoo. “For the moment, we do not know the cause. We assume that tattoos, regardless of their size, cause mild inflammation in the body, which, in turn, is likely to trigger cancer. The overall picture is more complex than we initially imagined,” adds Christel Nielsen.
Asked to comment on these results, Markus Ossola, of the Swiss Cancer League, remains circumspect: “In a case control study like this, it is always possible that factors other than tattoos are involved (education, behavior in terms of health), even if some of these disruptive factors were initially ruled out. The question of whether tattoos actually increase the risk of cancer has been debated for years, without a definitive conclusion being reached.
For their part, the authors of the study also agree that further studies are needed to state with certainty that tattoos increase the risk of lymphoma. The researchers emphasize that their study is not intended to issue a contraindication. For them, it is simply a security procedure.
