The main cause for most lymphomas is still unknown, but researchers have found out that the Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma is linked to a series of risk factors. But what are the risk factors? They are factors that increase the probabilities of suffering a disease, in this case, the Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Some factors can be reduced or avoided altogether like smoking, but other factors are intrinsic to the person, for example, age or family history. Having one or even more risk factors does not necessarily mean that the person will suffer from the disease, but it does increase the odds.
Researchers found that these are some of the risk factors for the Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma:
Age
Age is one of the main risk factors for NHL as most of the cases are people between 60-69 years old or older. Other types of lymphomas are more common during youth.
Race, Ethnicity, Geography
In the United States of America, Caucasians are more likely to suffer from NHL than African-American or Asians. Also, NHL is linked to more developed areas such as North America or Europe.
Gender
In most cases, the NHL is more common in men than in women. The reason is unknown.
Exposure to radiation
Studies have shown that survivors of nuclear incidents are more likely to suffer from several types of cancer including leukemia, thyroids cancer and NHL. Patients that received radiotherapy are also more likely to suffer NHL later in their lives.
Exposure to certain chemicals and drugs
Studies have also shown that some herbicides and even benzene are linked to higher probabilities of NHL. Drugs used for chemotherapy and radiotherapy may increase the chances of suffering from NHL in the future.
Infections can also cause Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.
Viruses can affect the lymphocytes DNA directly turning them into cancer cells, for instance, the infection by the Human T-lymphotropic virus, the human herpes virus type 8 and the Epstein-Barr virus can cause different types of lymphoma, including the NHL.
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/causes-risks-prevention/what-causes.html
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