Tattoos may increase cancer risk, scientists say

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People with tattoos may be at a higher risk of skin and blood cancers than those without, a new study from the University of Southern Denmark suggests.

Recent research indicates that tattoo ink may not simply stay on the surface layers of the skin where it is injected but potentially migrate to the lymph nodes of the immune system and accumulate there.

It is unclear, however, whether and to what extent tattoo ink may trigger chronic inflammation in the lymph nodes, home to germ-fighting cells.

It is also unclear if the accumulated ink can cause abnormal cell growth and, thus, heighten the risk of cancer. “We don’t yet know whether this persistent strain could weaken the function of the lymph nodes or have other health consequences,” Henrik Frederiksen from the University of Southern Denmark says.

The latest study, published in BMC Public Health, probes the link between tattoos and cancer by analysing data from the Danish Twin Tattoo Cohort, containing health information of over 5,900 twins in the country. “The unique aspect of our approach is that we can compare twin pairs where one has cancer but they otherwise share many genetic and environmental factors,” Jacob von Bornemann Hjelmborg, a biostatistician at the university, says.

A person gets a tattoo on their leg during the Brighton Tattoo Convention (Getty)

The findings suggest that large tattoos, bigger in size than a palm, may pose greater health risks. “For both skin cancer and lymphoma, increased hazards were found for tattoos larger than the palm of a hand,” the study says. The risk of lymphomas may be three times higher for people with such large tattoos compared to those without tattoos.

“This suggests that the bigger the tattoo and the longer it has been there,” Signe Bedsted Clemmensen, one of the authors of the new study, notes, “the more ink accumulates in the lymph nodes.”

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The researchers hope further studies can reveal the impact of tattoo ink on the immune system to help better understand the mechanisms at play.

They themselves plan to conduct studies to find out how ink particles affect the function of lymph nodes at a molecular level and whether specific ink colours are more prone to causing health risks.

“We want to gain a better understanding of the biological mechanisms – what happens in the lymph nodes when they are exposed to ink particles over decades,” Bedsted Clemmensen says.

“This can help us assess whether there is a real health risk and what we might do to reduce it.”

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