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About Lymphoma

Causes & Risk Factors for Lymphoma

The Lymphoma Numbers

#3

The third most common cancer in children and young adults.

#6

The sixth most common cancer across all age groups.
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New diagnoses each year.

Lymphoma develops when your genes undergo changes as a result of damage or mutations, causing your disease fighting lymphocytes to develop abnormally and become cancerous. Our genes provide the instructions for how a lymphocyte should be made, grow, behave, and when they should die.

As a result of the genetic changes, the lymphocytes begin to do the wrong thing, because they are no longer getting the right instructions from your genes. Instead of growing in an orderly way at the right time, they just keep making more and more damaged cells with mutated genes.

We don’t know why this happens. There is no definite cause of lymphoma and no way of telling who will get it and who won’t. 

Some risk factors have been identified though, and these are things that may increase your risk of getting lymphoma, but are not necessarily a cause of it.

On this page:

What's the difference between a risk factor and a cause?

A risk factor is something that increases your chances of getting lymphoma, but doesn’t mean you will get lymphoma.

Think about the lottery. If you buy more tickets than someone else, you have more chances of winning. But there is no guarantee you will win and, the person with less tickets is less likely, but can still win. 

It is the same with risk factors. If you have a risk factor you have a higher chance of getting lymphoma than someone without the risk factor, but it doesn’t mean you will get it. And, just because someone doesn’t have the risk factor, doesn’t mean they wont get lymphoma either. 

So the risk factor is like a game of chance.

Whereas if something causes a disease, we know that if that thing happens, the disease will follow and, if that thing doesn’t happen, there will be no disease.

You can think about a cause like cooking an egg. We know that if you break the egg open, put it in the pan and turn up the heat it will cook. But if you break it open, put it in the pan but don’t turn on the heat, the egg will sit there and never be cooked.

It is the heat that causes the egg to cook. It’s not a risk factor, because every time you turn up the heat in this situation the egg will cook, and every time there is no heat, the egg will not cook.

Dr Mary Ann Anderson – Haematologist from
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre & Royal Melbourne Hospital talks about why lymphoma develops.

What are the known risk factors?

Below you will find risk factors known to increase your chance of getting lymphoma or CLL. Not all risk factors are relevant to all subtypes of lymphoma though. Where there is a specific subtype associated with the risk factors we have added the subtype in. If no subtype is mentioned, then the risk factor is a general risk factor that may increase your risk of any of the subtypes.

If you would like to learn  more about your subtype, you can click on the link below. Otherwise, click on the arrow next to the risk factors below to learn more.

For more info see
Types of Lymphoma

As you can see from the banner at the top of the page, lymphoma is the most common cancer in teenagers and young adults aged between 15-29 years old. Hodgkin Lymphoma is more common in this age group, but they can also get Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Lymphoma is also the 3rd most common cancer in children less than 15 years old. 

However, the risk of getting lymphoma increases with age. Most people with lymphoma or CLL are 60 years or older.

Lymphoma is not inherited from your parents but, if you have a family member with lymphoma or CLL you may have an increased risk of developing it too. 

This is not because of a family disease, but may be because families can be exposed to different types risk factors – such as chemicals or infections. or immune system disorders that may run in families.

Our immune system protects us from infections and disease, and also help to repair and destroy damaged or cancerous cells. If you have already visited our webpage on Understanding your lymphatic and immune systems, you can view it by clicking here.

If you have a suppressed immune system – meaning it does not work as well as it should, you may be at increased risk of infections and developing lymphoma. 

Things that can suppress your immune system include the following.

Immunosuppressive medications and treatments

If you’re taking medication to suppress your immune system it can increase your risk of developing lymphoma and other cancers. Examples of these can include medications taken for autoimmune diseases, or after an organ transplant or allogeneic stem cell transplant. Lymphomas that develop after a transplant are called “Post-Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder (PTLD)”.

Chemotherapy and other anti-cancer treatments such as radiotherapy and some monoclonal antibodies can also suppress your immune system.

Always talk to your doctor about any risks that may be caused by your medications and other treatments.

Immunodeficiency disorders

Immunodeficiency disorders are disorders of your immune system. People can be born with these disorders or acquire them later in life.

Primary immune disorders are the ones you are born with and can include:

  • Congenital X-linked immunodeficiency
  • Ataxia Telangiectasia
  • Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome. 

 

Secondary immunodeficiency disorders are conditions that we “acquire” during our life, or that happen as result of another cause – such as when chemotherapy causes neutropenia leading to immune deficiency. Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is another type of secondary immune deficiency disorder, most commonly caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Autoimmune disorders

Autoimmune disorders are conditions where your own immune system starts attacking your healthy cells. There are many different types of autoimmune disorders, and some have been identified as increasing your risk of some subtypes of lymphoma including:

Some infections can increase your risk of developing lymphoma. Often these infections are infections we get in childhood and many are unavoidable. While these infections can increase your risk of developing lymphoma later in life, many people who have had these infections do not develop lymphoma, and people who have never had these infection can still get lymphoma. 

Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)

EBV has been identified as being a risk factor for several different subtypes of lymphoma. It is a type of herpes virus that can change the way our B-cells work. EBV is the virus that cause glandular fever, which is also sometimes called the “kissing disease” because it can be passed through saliva. It is also sometimes known as mononucleosis or “mono”. Some subtypes of lymphoma that are associated with EBV include:

Helicobacter Pylori (H. Pylori)

H. Pylori is an infection that causes stomach ulcers, and increases your risk of developing Gastric MALT Marginal Zone Lymphoma.

Campylobacter jejuni & Borrelia burgdorferi

Campylobacter jejuni is a bacteria that often causes food poisoning with the most common symptoms being a fever and diarrhea. Borrelia burgdorferi is a bacterial infection that causes Lyme disease.

Both of these bacterial infections can increase your risk of developing MALT Marginal Zone Lymphoma.

Human T-lymphotropic virus types 1 and 2

This virus is rare in Australia and more common in southern Japan and the Caribbean however, it is still found in some parts of Australia. It is spread through having unprotected sex with a person with the virus, contaminated blood or needles and through breast milk. Human T-lymphotropic virus can increase your risk of developing a subtype of lymphoma called Adult T-cell Leukemia/Lymphoma.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) 

HIV is the virus that can cause Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). It is passed on through unprotected sex with someone with the virus, contaminated blood and needles, and sometimes from mother to child during pregnancy, birth or breast feeding. Having HIV can increase your risk of both Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas. HIV or AIDS related lymphomas are aggressive with the most common AIDS related lymphomas being Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma and Burkitt Lymphoma, though it can also increase your risk of Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma and Primary Effusion Lymphoma.

Human Herpesvirus-8 (HHV8) – also called Kaposi Sarcoma Herpesvirus (KSHV)

HHV8  is also called Kaposi Sarcoma Herpesvirus because it can cause Kaposi sarcoma, which is a rare cancer of the blood and lymph vessels. However, it has also been identified as a risk factor for developing a very rare subtype lymphoma called Primary Effusion Lymphoma. 

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)

HCV is an infection that cause inflammation to your liver. It can also cause a condition called cryoglobulinemia that can result in uncontrolled growth of cells – but is not cancerous. However, it may change over time and become cancerous, increasing your risk of B-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas.

Exposure to certain chemicals has been identified as a risk factor for both Hodgkin Lymphoma and different types of Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas. Your risk is increased if you use or manufacture these products.

You may have an increased risk of developing lymphoma if you work in areas that use or manufacturer products such as:

  • pesticides
  • herbicides
  • fungicides
  • infectious organisms
  • solvents
  • paints
  • fuels
  • oils
  • dust
  • hair dyes.

 

If you work in these areas it is very important that you use the recommended personal protective equipment for your industry and product.

Some research has suggested that farmers, woodworkers, meat inspectors and veterinarians may have increased risk, however more research is needed to confirm this.

 

Breast implant-associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma

Breast implants have been identified as a risk factor for a slow-growing (indolent) subtype of T-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma called Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL). It is more common where textured implants have been used rather than smooth implants.

Although this cancer begins in the breast, it is not a type of breast cancer. It is thought to be caused by pockets of fluid, infection or inflammation building up around the implant which, over time can transform into ALCL. If you have Breast implant-associated ALCL, your doctor will recommend you have an operation to remove the implant and any fluid or infection found. This may be the only treatment you need, however if it has spread to other parts of your body, you will be recommended other treatments too. You can learn more about this by clicking the link below.

Discussed further in
Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma

Cancer treatment

Unfortunately many of the treatments used to treat cancer can also cause secondary cancers. These cancers are not the same as the first cancer and are not considered a relapse. The risk of developing a second cancer such as lymphoma remains for many years after your treatment.

Treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and other treatments that suppress your immune system, or damage your lymphocytes increases your risk of developing lymphoma.

If you are having treatment for any type of cancer including lymphoma, ask your doctor about the risk of secondary cancers.

Monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis

Monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL) is a non-cancerous condition that causes an increased number of abnormal B-cells lymphocytes in the blood. The abnormal B-lymphocytes have the same characteristics as chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), a subtype of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

MBL is considered a pre-cancerous condition that can transform into CLL over time. However, not everyone with MBL will develop CLL.

MBL is very rare in people under 40 years of age and the risk of developing MBL increases the older we get.

For more info see
Monoclonal B-cell Lymphocytosis (MBL)

Lifestyle

Unlike other cancers, there is very limited evidence to suggest lymphoma is caused by lifestyle choices. However, some choices (such as poor hygiene, unprotected sex or sharing needles) may increase your risk of getting some viruses and other infections, while others (such as lack of physical exercise, or poor nutrition) may decrease your immune function. These infections, or immune dysfunction may increase your risk of developing lymphoma.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle may decrease your risk of getting lymphoma, though there is no guarantee. Many people who are diagnosed with lymphoma live very healthy lifestyles. However, even though your lifestyle choices may not protect you fully from getting lymphoma, being otherwise healthy if you need to start treatment, will help your body cope better and recover quicker.

Some healthy choices to consider include:

  • Do not start smoking, or get help to quit.
  • Avoid illegal drugs.
  • If you need to use needles for any reason, use them once and put them in a suitable container to dispose of. Do not share needles with other people.
  • If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation.
  • Aim for a minimum of 30 minutes of physical exercise every day. If physical activity is difficult for you, see you local doctor.
  • Eat a healthy diet. If you need help with this, your local doctor can refer you to a dietician.
  • Have fun, but be safe in the process.

Summary

  • Lymphoma develops when changes – also called mutations happen in your genes affecting the way your lymphocytes grow and work.
  • There are currently no known causes for this change that leads to lymphoma.
  • Risk factors can increase your chance of getting lymphoma, but having a risk factor, doesn’t mean you will get lymphoma.
  • Not having a risk factor doesn’t mean you wont get lymphoma.
  • Lymphoma is not a “lifestyle” cancer – it does not seem to caused by lifestyle choices like other cancers.

For more info click the below links

For more info see
What is lymphoma
For more info see
Understanding your lymphatic and immune systems
For more info see
Symptoms of lymphoma
For more info see
Tests, Diagnosis and Staging
For more info see
Treatments for lymphoma & CLL
For more info see
Definitions - Lymphoma dictionary

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