Cancer devastated me – but I started shaking when I realised my 20-year-old TATTOO could be to blame
INK FEARS Cancer devastated me – but I started shaking when I realised my 20-year-old TATTOO could be to blame
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
THE row of hearts tattooed around Melanie Rushforth's left arm symbolises her love for her family. Her mum Margaret, whose middle name was Rose, is remembered by a flower on her right shoulder.
Melanie, 58, has been getting inked for 20 years - but regrets it all, knowing what she does now.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
8
Melanie Rushforth is terrified her 20-year-old tattoo could have caused her cancer
Credit: Melanie Rushforth
8
The 58-year-old was diagnosed with lymphoma - a type of blood cancer
Credit: Melanie Rushforth
The administrator is midway through treatment for lymphoma – a type of blood cancer.
In March, a study by the University of Southern Denmark found a link between tattoos and an increased risk of developing blood cancers, including lymphoma.
In fact, the increased risk could be as much as 170 per cent, something Melanie wasn't aware of during her various tatts between 2005 and 2016.
It was only after being diagnosed in April that she became aware of the connection.
'In February I noticed a lump on my neck,' Melanie, who is married to Ian, 62, an HGV driver, tells Sun Health.
'At first, I didn't think much of it. But I have an underactive thyroid, so I decided to get it checked just in case.
'The doctor didn't seem too concerned. He ordered some blood tests and told me to come back in four weeks if the lump didn't go down.
'The blood tests were fine; he thought it might have been glandular fever, but that came back negative.
'By the time the four weeks were up, the lump had gone, so I didn't go back.'
But two weeks later, Melanie's lump returned - much bigger and more painful than before - so she made another appointment with her GP.
People with tattoos have a 21% higher risk of lymphoma blood cancer - even if they're tiny, study suggests
'I thankfully saw the same doctor, and that's when he first mentioned the possibility of cancer,' she says.
'He said it might be nothing but sent me for an ultrasound and possibly a biopsy.'
The scans showed Melanie had lymphoma, a type of blood cancer that originates in the lymphatic system.
'I was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma – DLBCL,' she says.
One of the main symptoms of Melanie's condition is swollen lymph nodes, but others include pain in the tummy, chest or bone, night sweats, a high temperature and unexplained weight loss.
Melanie, who works at the University of Lincoln, says: 'It's in one spot on my neck and classified as stage one.
'Thankfully, it was caught early so I'm on a chemotherapy regimen called R-CHOP which is six sessions, one every three weeks.
'I had my third session on June 30 and treatment should finish by late August or early September, when I might switch to radiotherapy depending on how things go.'
I was shaking when I came across articles linking tattoos to blood cancers. I started to wonder, 'Have I done this to myself?'
Melanie Rushforth
While Melanie's consultant told her not to turn to Google to check her diagnosis, it was while researching the condition she found the link between tattoos and cancer.
The latest study, published in BMC Public Health, analysed the health data of 5,900 twins born between 1960 and 1996 up until 2017.
Over the course of several decades, the risk of lymphoma - a type of blood cancer that affects the immune system - was found to be three times higher for those with large tatts.
'For larger tattoos – those bigger than the palm of a hand, the hazard was 140 per cent,' study author assistant professor Signe Bedsted Clemmensen said.
'We found that people with tattoos had a 60 per cent higher hazard – a measure of 'immediate risk' – of developing skin cancer compared to those without tattoos.'
Prof Clemmensen says the study findings are a long time overdue.
'Our study found evidence of associations between having tattoos and development of lymphoma and skin cancer,' she says.
'While this doesn't prove causation, it highlights a potential health concern that warrants further investigation.
'It has long been known that tattoo ink doesn't just stay in the skin. It also accumulates in nearby lymph nodes.'
8
Melanie wasn't aware that studies show tattoos can increase your risk of cancer by as much as 170 per cent
Credit: Melanie Rushforth
8
She got her various inkings between 2005 and 2016
Credit: Melanie Rushforth
8
'I started to wonder, 'Have I done this to myself?'' she says
Credit: Melanie Rushforth
She explains that this is one of the potential mechanisms that could explain why tattoos might lead to cancer.
'Firstly, there are carcinogenic properties of substances used in tattoo ink,' Prof Clemmensen says.
'Secondly, we suspect that tattoo ink as a foreign substance can cause chronic inflammation in the lymph nodes, which over time can lead to abnormal cell growth and an increased risk of cancer.
'Despite repeated calls from health authorities for research into the potential long-term health effects of tattooing, there were no scientific studies addressing this issue when we began planning our study.
'That gap in knowledge is what prompted us to take a closer look.'
What are the signs of lymphoma?
LYMPHOMA is a term for cancer that starts in the lymph system - a network of vessels and glands that spans your body.
There are two main kinds of lymphoma – Hodgkin Lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.
Lymphoma can cause many different symptoms, depending on which type of lymphoma it is and where it develops in the body.
The most typical signs are: Swollen lymph nodes, such as in the neck, armpit or groin area Night sweats Extreme tiredness Itching Unexplained weight loss Fever Excessive bleeding, such as nosebleeds, heavy periods and spots of blood under the skin
Other signs of lymphoma in a more localised area include: Swelling of the stomach, loss of appetite and other abdominal symptoms Coughing, shortness of breath, or chest pain
Dr Rachel Orritt, health information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: 'There isn't enough evidence to say that tattoos increase people's cancer risk, and more research is needed.
'This is a difficult area to study, because there are lots of different possible ingredients in tattoo ink, making it tricky to understand the effects.
'If people are concerned about their cancer risk, there are proven steps they can take to reduce it.
'These include not smoking, keeping a healthy weight, and enjoying the sun safely.'
For Melanie though, the realisations that her tattoos could have caused or contributed to her condition has been incredibly difficult to deal with.
She says: 'My husband and I were searching everything, and I came across a couple of articles linking tattoos to lymphoma or blood cancers. It understandably really worried me.
'I have four tattoos and I'd planned to get another this year to cover a scar on my leg.
'I was shaking when I read those articles though. I started to wonder, 'Have I done this to myself?'
'It added a whole new layer of stress.'
'Like a phoenix rising from the ashes'
While Melanie's diagnosis could be entirely coincidental, Prof Clemmensen suggests the research is too hard to ignore.
She says more education is needed so people can make informed choices.
'Ultimately, it's a personal decision,' she says. 'Each individual must consider whether they're comfortable with the potential health risks associated with tattooing.
'As with smoking, alcohol consumption, or highly processed foods, it's important that people have access to reliable information.
'Our role as researchers is to provide that evidence so individuals – and policymakers – can make informed decisions.'
Melanie had planned to get a post-cancer tattoo, which she is now scrapping.
'It was of a phoenix rising from the ashes,' she says.
'It felt symbolic - about survival, rebirth, and strength - but I won't get anything done for the foreseeable future – not after reading the study.
'I love body art. It's a personal expression, but I won't get any more tattoos.'
8
Melanie is halfway through treatment for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
Credit: Melanie Rushforth
8
Her tattoos symbolise her love for her family
Credit: Melanie Rushforth
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
4 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Fizzy drinks, ice cream and instant noodles could up your risk of LUNG cancer by 41%
Munching junk is especially bad news for both non-small cell lung cancer and the deadlier small cell type, experts say FOOD FOR THOUGHT Fizzy drinks, ice cream and instant noodles could up your risk of LUNG cancer by 41% Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SCOFFING fizzy drinks, ice cream and instant noodles could send your lung cancer risk soaring by 41 per cent, experts warn. A major study has found people who munch the most ultra-processed foods - or UPFs - are far more likely to get the disease than those who avoid them. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Fizzy drinks have been linked to lung cancer Credit: Getty Images - Getty 3 The findings don't prove ultra-processed foods cause cancer, rather that people should still try to cut down Credit: Getty An international team of scientists said junk food is particularly bad for non-small cell lung cancer and the more aggressive small cell type. Professor Sam Hare, consultant chest radiologist at the Royal Free London NHS Trust, said: 'A quarter of lung cancer cases occur in non-smokers so we do need research exploring whether other factors are associated with lung cancer." The study tracked the diets and health of more than 100,000 adults in the US over 12 years and found 1,706 went on to develop lung cancer. On average, people had nearly three servings of UPFs a day, but some had up to six. The favourites across diets were soft drinks and lunch meats. But the list also includes fried food, cakes, pastries, salty snacks, breakfast cereals, instant noodles and soups, margarine, sweets, burgers, hot dogs and pizza. Those who scoffed the most UPFs were 41 per cent more likely to get lung cancer than those who ate the least, according to findings in Thorax. The research team, tried to account for whether people smoked or not, but not how heavily, which could still skew the results. They warned the findings don't prove UPFs cause lung cancer, but said people should still try to cut down. They wrote: 'Although additional research in other populations and settings is warranted, these findings suggest the healthy benefits of limiting UPF. I'm a doctor and these 5 changes could be a sign of deadly lung cancer "Limiting trends of UPF intake globally could contribute to reducing the burden of lung cancer.' Prof Hare said further work was needed "to establish direct causation between UPFs and lung cancer". "Crucially, whilst the study does make some adjustments for smoking status, the amount of smoking is not factored in, which is known to be directly related to lung cancer development," he said. 'Dietary habits also change considerably over the course of such long-term studies. 3 Lung cancer symptoms usually only emerge as the disease develops "It's difficult to directly conclude that lung cancer is related to the level of UPF consumption alone given it was only declared at the start of the study. 'That said, given the relative lack of info on non-smoking risk factors for lung cancer, it's important that the scientific community does more studies like this – we need genuine evidence-based advancement in early diagnosis of lung cancer in non-smokers, but this study isn't quite able to give us the answers yet.' The findings come as a separate study looked at teenage smoking in the UK over 50 years. Experts from the University of Michigan tracked rates in 16 and 17-year-olds from 1974 to 2018, and found it had dropped from 33 per cent to 12 per cent. But in 2018, 11 per cent of older teens were vaping and those who did were far more likely to go on to smoke. Writing in Tobacco Control, the authors said just 1.5 per cent of non-vaping teens picked up cigarettes, compared to 33 per cent of vapers. 'Tobacco control efforts should continue to focus on the prevention of general youth nicotine use and to specifically target youth who use e-cigarettes because their risk of cigarette smoking is similar to youth in the 1970s,' they wrote. But some academics have slammed the findings, saying the conclusion is 'not justified'.
Scottish Sun
10 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Viral ‘Dubai-style' favourite pulled from UK shelves over dangerous health risk – just days after popular chocolate bar
Customers are encouraged to return the product for a full refund 'DO NOT EAT' Viral 'Dubai-style' favourite pulled from UK shelves over dangerous health risk – just days after popular chocolate bar Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A "DUBAI-style" sweet treat is being recalled after it was discovered to pose a dangerous health risk. It comes just days after the viral "Dubai-style" chocolate bar was pulled from shelves. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Customers who have bought the 'Dubai style' sweet treat have been urge not to eat it Credit: Destan Denar Limited is recalling Destan Pistazien Crème Dubai Style because it contains milk which is not mentioned on the label. It poses a dangerous health risk to anyone with an allergy or intolerance to milk. The Food Standards Agency issued a warning to shoppers today saying "do not eat it." Denar Limited, who make and sell the product, has been advised to contact the relevant allergy support organisations. The Food Standards Agency and Denar Limited issued the recall of the pistachio cream yesterday. A point-of-sale notice has also been issued to customers explaining why the product is being recalled and instructing them what to do if they have bought it. All batches of the Pistachio cream sweet treat have been hit with the recall notice. This means all 200g pack sizes with all batch codes and all best before dates were affected by the recall. Shoppers are advised to return the product to the point of sale where they will receive a full refund. Customers were warned by Denar Limited that the product should not be consumed. Shoppers go wild as Dubai chocolate dupe drops in Lidl It comes just days after the viral Dubai-style chocolate bar was recalled for having an undeclared ingredient. Shops selling the product were warned to immediately stop sales and undertake product withdrawals. The internet sensation contained peanuts which was not declared on the packaging. It posed a health risk to anyone with a peanut allergy or peanut intolerance. 2 The viral 'Dubai style' chocolate was recalled just days ago Credit: NOESIS Businesses had been supplied the chocolate by a company called Black Sea Trading Ltd, who had "so far been uncontactable." Shoppers were urged not to buy the product and not to eat the chocolate if they had already bought it. Anyone who had purchased the chocolate was encouraged to dispose of it at home. The Food Standards Agency encouraged customers to contact their local Trading Standards and report where they had purchased the chocolate.
Scottish Sun
15 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Dad-of-five, 35, forced to have both ‘burning' legs amputated after falling ill on family holiday in Italy
'Our hearts shattered into more than 1,000 pieces,' Alessandro's wife Iljhama said HOLIDAY HELL Dad-of-five, 35, forced to have both 'burning' legs amputated after falling ill on family holiday in Italy Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A DAD-of-five was forced to have both his legs amputated, after they began "burning" and turned black while on holiday. Alessandro Luciano, 35, was in southern Italy with his wife Iljhama and their five children. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 8 Alessandro Luciano, 35, was rushed to hospital when black patches appeared on his legs Credit: Jam Press 8 The dad-of-five has had both his legs amputated and several fingers Credit: Jam Press 8 He first fell ill on holiday in Italy and was diagnosed with a meningococcal type B infection Credit: Jam Press The electrician came down with a fever on the first day of his summer holidays in August last year. Alessandro also noticed black spots appearing on his limbs and rushed to a local hospital. 'My legs were burning, and black spots suddenly appeared on my feet and hands,' the dad recalled. He was diagnosed with a meningococcal type B infection, a serious illness that can lead to meningitis and blood poisoning. In the UK, babies and children are given the MenB vaccine to protect against the dangerous bacteria. Alessandro developed a rare and extremely serious complication, purpura fulminans. The life-threatening condition damages the skin and tissues, causing purple lesions and tissue necrosis. With his health suddenly and rapidly deteriorating, the electrician was urgently transferred to a hospital in his home city Stuttgart, Germany. Doctors had to amputate the lower half of both his legs after they turned black. They also removed four fingers on his right hand, and part of a finger on his left. Gran 'devastated' after being forced to have both legs AMPUTATED after getting two 'mosquito-sized' bites on leg in Cork Iljhama, who met Alessandro when they were 14 years old said: 'My husband and I have been in a committed relationship for 21 years and married for almost 15 years. 'We lived happily with our five children. 'And then our nightmare began. 'After many difficult months caring for my mother, we went on vacation to southern Italy. 'But we were not allowed to be happy, our hearts shattered into more than 1,000 pieces when he contracted meningococcus nesseria purpura fulminans. 8 Alessandro on holiday Credit: Jam Press 8 Alessandro also developed a rare and extremely serious complication, purpura fulminans Credit: Jam Press 8 Iljhama said the experience had been heartbreaking for the family Credit: Jam Press 'He survived, and thankfully his nervous system was not damaged. 'But he needed bilateral leg amputation up to the knee, four fingers on the right hand were amputated, the middle finger on the left hand was partially amputated, and the index finger is severely restricted.' Alessandro had recently renovated the family's fifth-floor apartment. But the same home became an obstacle, after he returned home from surgery in a wheelchair. The dad can't manage the five-floor walk up on his own and installing a stair lift in the apartment building is impossible due to building regulations. Iljhama launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the costs of installing an external lift. Know the signs of meningitis and septicaemia Meningitis is inflammation of the lining around the brain and spinal cord – the meninges. Septicaemia is blood poisoning caused by the same germs as meningitis and is life-threatening. It can occur with or without meningitis. Both meningitis and septicaemia can kill in hours, so it is critical to know the symptoms so you can act fast. Symptoms can appear in any order and not all of them show. For example, the meningitis rash does not always appear. It can be hard to tell meningitis/septicaemia apart from other common bugs. The symptoms marked with a * indicate those that are more specific to meningitis/septicaemia and are rarer with common bugs. Symptoms of both septicaemia and meningitis Fever and/or vomiting Very sleepy, vacant or difficult to wake Confused/delirious* A rash, which can be anywhere on the body* Additional symptoms of meningitis Severe headache Seizures Dislike of bright lights Stiff neck* Additional symptoms of septicaemia Breathing fast/breathlessness Pale or mottled skin Limb/muscle/joint pain, which may come with stomach pain or diarrhoea * Cold hands, feet or shivering* Source: Meningitis Research Foundation She explained: 'I currently carry him up and down the five floors twice a day using a stair climber – a total weight of over 100kg. 'This not only puts a heavy strain on my health, it also takes away the last vestiges of his independence and dignity. 'A stair lift is not possible under building regulations and modern wheelchairs with tracked wheels are also ruled out due to the narrow stairwell. 'An external elevator is our only hope, but this costs tens of thousands of Euros – and we cannot finance it. 'The fact that he's now completely dependent on me, barely mobile, hurts him deeply, and it tears me apart inside.' So far, £43,667 (€50,386) of the £121,596 (€140,000) goal has been raised. 8 Alessandro with his wife and five children Credit: Jam Press
