Big tattoos can cause cancer potentially.
Discussion
https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles...
""The investigators found a higher occurrence of both skin cancers and lymphoma among the individuals who were tattooed. The link between tattoos and cancer was most evident among those with tattoos larger than the palm. ""
Seems an in-depth study. There is an unknown reason why younger people are still getting cancers, it might be the trends for big tattoos.
""The investigators found a higher occurrence of both skin cancers and lymphoma among the individuals who were tattooed. The link between tattoos and cancer was most evident among those with tattoos larger than the palm. ""
Seems an in-depth study. There is an unknown reason why younger people are still getting cancers, it might be the trends for big tattoos.
Caddyshack said:
Maybe people with Tattoos want to show them off so wear less clothes in sunny weather or are the type of people who go outside more? Might not be directly linked to ink???
I’d say it’s more likely that people with tattoos are less inhibited and more likely to engage in all kinds of cancer-causing activities like smoking, consuming artificial substances as well as wanton sunbathing.Tattoo ink is found in lymph glands soon after a tattoo is done. A type of white blood cell called a macrophage 'hoovers up' the pigment in the ink. This does get deposited in lymph glands drained by lymph channels adjacent to the tattoo.
It's likely this that causes the potentially increased risk.
The study is a retrospective case controlled study, which are not ideal. They calculated an indicent rate ratio between lymphoma patients with or without tattoos, the problem with this sort of study you need to exclude all confounding factors. Ie do people with tattoos drink more, or are they exposed to more chemicals etc. Retrospective studies reply on patient memory and are more likely to not pick up confounding factors as well as a study looking at patients going forwards in time.
From a quick read of the study, most of the data in the study had a confidence interval crossing 1, so is not significant statistically. With the only finding that was significant was in the group of people within two years of a tattoo. The incidence ratio being 1.81 and the confidence interval did not cross 1. This means in the Swedish population they looked at the rate of lymphoma was 81% higher in the first two years after a tattoo than the control group.
The study is not definitive, but it does suggest there could be a link. Needs more research. If I had a genetic predisposition to lymphoma, I personally would avoid a tattoo until the picture was clearer. But I'd avoid fags, benzene and getting fat too in those circumstances.
It's likely this that causes the potentially increased risk.
The study is a retrospective case controlled study, which are not ideal. They calculated an indicent rate ratio between lymphoma patients with or without tattoos, the problem with this sort of study you need to exclude all confounding factors. Ie do people with tattoos drink more, or are they exposed to more chemicals etc. Retrospective studies reply on patient memory and are more likely to not pick up confounding factors as well as a study looking at patients going forwards in time.
From a quick read of the study, most of the data in the study had a confidence interval crossing 1, so is not significant statistically. With the only finding that was significant was in the group of people within two years of a tattoo. The incidence ratio being 1.81 and the confidence interval did not cross 1. This means in the Swedish population they looked at the rate of lymphoma was 81% higher in the first two years after a tattoo than the control group.
The study is not definitive, but it does suggest there could be a link. Needs more research. If I had a genetic predisposition to lymphoma, I personally would avoid a tattoo until the picture was clearer. But I'd avoid fags, benzene and getting fat too in those circumstances.
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