Unusual Presentation of Bladder Cancer in a Young Male With Significant Tattoo Exposure: A Case Report

Recent studies have shown that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can be found in commercial black tattoo inks raising suspicion of tattoo-related PAHs exposure to cancer risk. We present a case of a 27-year-old Hispanic nonsmoker male with bladder cancer (BC) following extensive tattoo sessions totaling over 100 hours. The patient was treated with transurethral resection of the bladder tumor (TURBT) and adjuvant intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) therapy. Although the oncogenesis of urothelial tumors in young patients is unclear, multiple environmental and genetic factors may contribute to the etiology. This case report underscores the importance of conducting toxicological and epidemiological studies on PAHs and emphasizes the need for increased documentation of tattoos in patients diagnosed with BC.