Tattoos may raise lymphoma risks
Research we're watching
- Reviewed by Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
Having a tattoo may increase your risk of developing lymphoma, a type of white blood cell cancer, a new analysis suggests.
The study, published in the June 2024 issue of eClinical Medicine, analyzed the nearly 12,000 cases of lymphoma among Swedish adults ages 20 to 60 that were diagnosed between 2007 and 2017. Using questionnaires, researchers determined which participants had one or more tattoos. After adjusting for other risk factors, the researchers found that tattooed participants had a 21% higher risk of lymphoma than their non-tattooed peers. But size didn't seem to matter: no evidence was found that lymphoma risk increased among individuals with larger areas of tattooed skin.
The popularity of tattoos has exploded in recent years. Nearly one-third of Americans have a tattoo, and 22% have more than one, according to the Pew Research Center. Tattoo ink often contains carcinogens, which may trigger an immune response when injected under the skin, study authors said. However, the study was observational, meaning it couldn't prove tattoos cause lymphoma — only that an association exists.
Image: © shaddhu/Getty Images
About the Author
Maureen Salamon, Executive Editor, Harvard Women's Health Watch
About the Reviewer
Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
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