Having one or more of these risk factors does not mean you will get lymphoma.
In most cases, they can’t even predict your likelihood of developing the disease.
The key risk factors associated with lymphoma include:
Obesity and diet may also play a part.
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The two main types areHodgkin lymphomaandnon-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Many of these risk factors are non-modifiable, meaning that there is nothing you could do to change them.
Chief among them are age, sex, and immune dysfunction.
Age
Age plays a key role in the development of lymphoma.
Although lymphoma can occur at any age, including childhood, the majority are diagnosed in adults over 60.
Sex
Sex is another risk factor that places some individuals at greater risk of lymphoma than others.
It is believed that the hormoneestrogeninfluences which types of lymphoma are more or less common in women.
As you get older, your immune response will invariably begin to weaken.
But, age is not the only factor that contributes to the loss of immune function.
A similar situation is seen with organ transplant recipients who need immunosuppressant drugs to prevent organ rejection.
Certainautoimmune diseasesare also linked to increased rates of lymphoma, although it is not entirely clear why.
Genetics
Another risk factor you’re free to’t change are your genetics.
In recent years, scientists have begun to link specific genetic mutations to specific types of lymphoma.
Still, family history plays a central role in the overall risk, most specifically with Hodgkin lymphoma.
The inheritance pattern in families with non-Hodgkin lymphoma is far less clear.
Scientists believe that they either trigger the disease in people genetically predisposed to lymphoma or cause the mutations themselves.
Further research is needed to determine how these chemical toxins contribute to lymphoma and what risk they actually pose.
Cancer Therapy
Bothchemotherapyandradiation therapyused to treat cancer can increase a person’s risk of lymphoma.
The risk of lymphoma is seen to increase with the aggressiveness of the therapy.
The duration of therapy and the incidence ofrelapsealso play a part.
BEACOPP also increases the risk ofacute myeloid leukemia (AML)andmyelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)by 450%.
People previously exposed to high levels of radiation therapy are also at an increased risk of lymphoma.
The risk is further increased when radiation and chemotherapy are combined.
Lifestyle Factors
Certain lifestyle factors can increase your risk of lymphoma.
BMI is a dated, flawed measure.
It does not take into account factors such asbody composition,ethnicity, sex, race, and age.
With that said,trans fatsare linked to a significantly higher incidence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in women.
Whether losing weight will reduce the risk of lymphoma on an individual basis is unclear.
Breast Implants
Another less common risk factor involvesbreast implants.
This seems more likely with implants that are textured rather than those that are smooth.
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