13 Apr 2009

This message came to my profile at the Tribalectic website:

hello elayne , my girlfriend has had three labia piercings , shortly after the first one she developed cervical cancer . the second one it seemed fine . but shortly after the third one the cancer returned and she had to have the rest of the cervix taken out . there is not much information on the internet concerning cancer and piercings . i did however found one site that claims that body piercing can cause cancer. their explanation was skin cells pushed into the skin and then get trapped and develop into cancer .everyone i have talked to says there has not been any studies done.do you believe it is possible to get cancer from a body piercing? thanks so much...jack...

Below is my response:

Jack,
Thanks for your questions. No, I don't think it is possible for piercings to cause cancer. I've seen no apparent correlation to it in my many, many years in the industry (since the 1980s).

This is what my book has to say about the subject including a  quote from a doctor:

There is no medical evidence that piercings increase the risk of cancer. Kelly Shanahan, MD, chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Barton Memorial Hospital in Lake Tahoe, states, “I am aware of no evidence that nipple piercing increases the risk of breast cancer.”


Further, there really isn't any physiological way to explain that cells from a labia piercing could affect the tissue of the cervix, which are completely different.

I understand it is easier to have something (like a piercing, or anything) to blame, but it just isn't so.

I wish your girlfriend all the best with her recovery.

Sincerely,
Angel

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