Let's Talk About the Causes of Lymphoma

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Lymphoma is a cancer of the blood and the lymphatic system—part of your body’s germ-fighting setup that includes lymph nodes (like the ones in your neck that get swollen when you have a bad cold), the spleen, bone marrow, and an immune gland in the chest called the thymus. Lymphoma starts when infection-fighting white blood cells called lymphocytes mutate and start to grow out of control.

There are two main categories of the disease. The first is known as Hodgkin’s lymphoma—also sometimes called “Hodgkin’s disease” and named after Thomas Hodgkin, the doctor who first described it in 1832. An estimated 8,000 Americans are diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma each year. The second type is called non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It is significantly more common than Hodgkin’s, and affects about 74,000 people each year.

Under those two umbrellas, there are more than 70 different “subtypes” of lymphoma.

Like any cancer, lymphoma is a serious condition, and if you have it, it’s understandable that you feel worried. Here’s what you need to know: Your odds of beating this disease are high—higher than many other forms of cancer. The average five-year survival rate (defined as the percentage of people who live at least five years after diagnosis) for people with Hodgkin’s lymphoma is 87%. The average five-year survival rate for people with non-Hodgkin lymphoma is 71%.

If you’re diagnosed at the earliest stages, you have an even better outlook—a whopping 92% of people with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and 82% with NHL are living their best life five years and beyond after diagnosis.

Is Lymphoma Genetic?

In some types of cancer, the genetic component is clear: In breast cancer, for example, we know that a parent can pass down several different gene mutations—like the BRCA1 and BRCA 2 mutations you may have heard of—that greatly increase a child’s chances of getting the disease. With lymphoma, researchers are still trying to get a clear picture of whether or not your parents could play a role.

So far, scientists have not found any clear inheritable gene mutations related directly to lymphoma. That said, one large study done by a coalition of European cancer experts in 2017 pinned down six separate mutations (on genes related to the immune system and auto-immune disorders) that also seem to be linked to Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

There is another way that lymphoma is genetic though—it can cause changes in your DNA’s existing genes that raise your cancer risk. Here’s the deal:

The genes contained in your DNA tell all the cells in your body how to behave.

Genes called “oncogenes” trigger cell growth, while “tumor suppressor genes” slow it down or make cells die off when they are old or damaged.

If there are mistakes and mutations in a person’s DNA, it can turn these genes on or off.

In turn, this can trigger the process of copying damaged cells, increasing the odds of cancer.

Is Family History a Risk Factor?

Family history may be a factor for some people. Even though we don’t know of a specific “lymphoma gene” or mutation that you can inherit from your parents, it does seem to run in some families.

So if you have a parent, sibling, or child with lymphoma, you are at a slightly higher risk for it than someone without close relatives with the disease.

Media Contact:

Media Contact:
John Mathews
Journal Manager
Journal of Phlebology and Lymphology
Email: phlebology@eclinicalsci.com