Tattoos linked to cancer in study by Swedish university

Getting tattooed could increase a person’s risk of developing a certain type of cancer, researchers have found.

Getting tattoos could increase a person’s risk of developing cancer by 21 per cent, a new study has found.

A Swedish study found a link between tattoos and cancer of the lymphatic system, known as lymphoma, The Sun reports.

Researchers from Lund University emphasised that they were not trying to dissuade people from getting tattooed.

However, they said the long-term health effects of body art is not known due to a lack of research in the area.

Tattoos have been linked to blood cancer in a new study. Picture: AFP

Lead author Christel Nielsen said: “We already know that when the tattoo ink is injected into the skin, the body interprets this as something foreign that should not be there and the immune system is activated.

“A large part of the ink is transported away from the skin, to the lymph nodes where it is deposited.”

There are two main types of lymphatic cancer – Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The research team determined that the size of a tattoo did not affect the extent of the cancer risk. Picture: AFP

The Lund University researchers looked at the link between tattoos and lymphoma, finding that people with tattoos have a 21 per cent increased chance of developing the cancer.

Dr Nielsen said the study was based on Swedish National Authority registries, which identify every individual who’s been diagnosed with lymphoma.

The team plans to look for links between tattoos and other types of cancer. Picture: AFP

The research team determined that the size of a tattoo did not affect the extend of the cancer risk.

“One can only speculate that a tattoo, regardless of size, triggers a low-grade inflammation in the body, which in turn can trigger cancer,” Dr Nielsen said. “The picture is thus more complex than we initially thought.”

Dr Nielsen said her team plans to look for links between tattoos and other types of cancer as well as inflammatory diseases.

Originally published as Tattoos linked to cancer in study by Swedish university