Malignant Melanoma in a Tattoo

Azo Pigments and a Basal Cell Carcinoma at the Thumb

“…The medical literature reports on malignant skin lesions such as basal cell carcinoma [9, 10] or melanoma [11, 12] in tattoos, but without providing evidence for causality. Part of the pigments and their impurities are transported from the skin into the lymph nodes staining them for years [13].…”

Histopathological aspects of unusual skin tumors with clinical correlations

“…Mere coincidence can be the possible explanation 23,34,35,38 , however according to the previous reports other associations could be considered.…”

“…The dictates of fashion have led to a recent dramatic increase in the number of decorative tattoos being applied to the human body worldwide [23][24][25][26] 23,29 .…”

“…As there have been only 13 previous cases in the literature 23,25,[30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38] and the methods and materials of tattooing differ, it is impossible to prove a direct connection between tattooing and the malignant process 23,32,34,35 . Mere coincidence can be the possible explanation 23,34,35,38 , however according to the previous reports other associations could be considered.…”

“…It is also well known that the incidence of melanoma is increasing worldwide, as is the number of melanocytic lesions 23,29 . Accordingly, it is to be expected that dermatologists will in the future have to deal with increasing numbers of melanocytic lesions in association with tattoos.…”