Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is a disease of the lymph system. Because lymph tissue is found throughout the body, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma can be found almost everywhere in the body. Risk factors for this disease include being male and being older. These risk factors can be distinguished from other causes such as chemical exposures, infections and radiation.
Pesticides
Researchers have long suspected that the high rate of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma among farmers might be attributed to pesticide exposure. A 2003 article in Occupational and Environmental Medicine reported on 3,417 research subjects who were exposed to at least one of 47 pesticides. The study concluded that "coumaphos, diazinon, and fonofos, insecticides chlordane, dieldrin, and copper acetoarsenite, and herbicides atrazine, glyphosate, and sodium chlorate" were associated with increased rates of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
These findings were confirmed by a 2005 paper appearing in The American Journal of Epidemology.
Hodgkin's Lymphoma
The National Cancer Institute reports that prior treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma can cause non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The classic work on this first appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1979. Researchers in this study reported that the actuarial risk for developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma 10 years after being treated for Hodgkin's lymphoma was 4.4 percent. They noted that the risk for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma might be higher in patients who receive both chemotherapy and radiation.
These findings do not reflect current protocols for the treatment of Hodgkin's. As the 2005 Cancer Journal reports, "continued documentation of late effects associated with newer treatment will be important for the follow-up of patients treated in the modern era."
Other Diseases
The National Cancer Institute explains that a variety of autoimmune disorders, viral and bacterial infections are associated with increased risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. For example, patients with hypogammaglobulinemia, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, or Sjögren syndrome are more likely to get non-Hodgkins. Patients infected with HIV, Epstein-Barr virus or Helicobacter pylori are also more vulnerable to this disease.
References
- National Cancer Institute: Adult Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Treatment
- Occupational and Environmental Medicine: Integrative Assessment of Multiple Pesticides as Risk Factors for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
- American Journal of Epidemiology: Occupational Exposure to Pesticides and Risk of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
- The New England Journal of Medicine: Occurrence of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma after Therapy for Hodgkin's Disease
- The Cancer Journal: Late Effects of Hodgkin's Disease and Its Treatment
