Skip to: Main Navigation | Main Content

or try the A-Z Library

Risk factors for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

by Dr Norman Swan

A New Zealand study has found that farmers, particularly vegetable and crop growers, have an increased risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

23 10 2007

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, at least until recently, was one of the most rapidly rising cancers in Australia. It's a cancer that starts in white blood cells, usually in lymphatic tissue, the guard houses of the immune system. So a common reason for seeing the doctor is for enlarged, painless, rubbery lymph nodes; or symptoms because of pressure from the lymph nodes, say in the abdomen or neck.

It's not a great cancer to develop, although some new-ish treatments are showing promise.

Two recent studies have tried to look for what might increase the risk of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. A New Zealand study has found that farmers, particularly vegetable and crop growers, have a higher risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma – which may point to fungicides, herbicides and insecticides.

The notion of chemical exposure is strengthened by the fact that cleaners are at risk too. Abbatoir workers directly involved in slaughtering the animals are also at risk, which could point to an animal virus.

It's also known that having HIV or a compromised immune system is a risk, so a second study has looked at autoimmune diseases and found some increased risk in people with lupus and in people with a condition called Sjogren's syndrome (which involves glands which produce saliva and tears). Psoriasis may also be a bit of a problem.

So there are some clues, but the fact is that most people who develop the disease have none of these factors. And the vast majority of people with those risk factors don't get non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. So there's a lot to learn.

For Reference

Title: Scand J Work Environ Health
Author: Pearce N and McLean D. Agricultural exposures and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
2005;31 Suppl 1:18-25; discussion 5-7. Review

Title: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev
Author: Grulich AE et al. Altered immunity as a risk factor for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
2007 Mar;16(3):405-8. Epub 2007 Mar 2. Review.