Lymphoma: diagnosis and treatment

For most cancers, researchers are still trying to understand how they are caused. The same is true for lymphoma - doctors do not know what causes it, although it is more likely to occur in certain people.5,7,8 Medical researchers have identified certain risk factors that make lymphoma more likely, although they often do not understand why:5,8 Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma Age - most non-Hodgkin lymphomas are in people 60 years of age and over Sex - there are different rates of different types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma across the sexes Ethnicity and location - in the US, African-Americans and Asian-Americans are less prone than white Americans, and the disease is more common in developed nations of the world Chemicals and radiation - some chemicals used in agriculture have been linked, as has nuclear radiation exposure Immune deficiency - for example, caused by HIV infection or in organ transplantation Autoimmune disease, in which the immune system attacks the body's own cells Infection - certain viral and bacterial infections increase the risk. The Helicobacter Infection has been implicated, as has the Epstein Barr Virus (the virus that causes glandular fever)13 See the American Cancer Society's page for more detail on risk factors for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Hodgkin's lymphoma Infectious mononucleosis - infection with Epstein-Barr virus Age - two specific groups are most affected: typically people in their 20s, and people over the age of 55 years Sex - slightly more common in men Location - most common in the US, Canada and northern Europe; least common in Asia Family - if a sibling has the condition, the risk is slightly higher, and very high if there is an identical twin Affluence - people from higher socioeconomic status are at greater risk HIV infection