Tattoos and Risk of Hematologic Cancer: A Population-Based Case-Control Study in Utah

Area of Science:

• Epidemiology
• Oncology
• Immunology

Background:

• Tattoo prevalence is rising in US adults, with approximately one-third having tattoos.
• Tattooing involves potential long-term exposure to carcinogens and can trigger inflammatory and immune responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between tattooing and the risk of developing hematologic cancers.
• To analyze specific subtypes of hematologic malignancies in relation to tattoo history.

Main Methods:

• A population-based case-control study included 820 hematologic cancer cases and 8,200 controls, aged 18-79 years.
• Data were collected between 2019-2021, with multivariable-adjusted logistic regression used to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Main Results:

• Tattoo prevalence was 22% in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) cases, 11% in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) cases, 16% in myeloid neoplasm cases, and 15% in controls.
• In individuals aged 20-60, ever having a tattoo (OR 2.06) and tattooing 10+ years prior (OR 2.64) were associated with rarer mature B-cell NHLs.
• Elevated risks were also suggested for myelodysplastic syndromes and chronic myeloid leukemia with a 10+ year latency.

Conclusions:

• Suggestive evidence indicates a potential association between tattooing and increased risk for certain hematologic cancer subtypes.
• Given the high prevalence of tattooing, further studies are essential to clarify the relationship between tattoos and hematologic cancer risk.