Lymphomalife.net

It is normal to think ‘Why me?’ when faced with a diagnosis like non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). But it is important to remember that nothing you have done caused you to develop the disease.

Why me?

Most patients think ‘Why me?’ when diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), and this is a natural human reaction. Unfortunately, no one knows for sure what has caused your NHL. It is known that you cannot ‘catch’ NHL – so no one has given it to you and you can’t pass it on. There is no evidence of NHL being hereditary. So the families of patients with the disease are no more likely to develop NHL than other people. Also, unlike some other cancers, it is not related to lifestyle or smoking.

There is nothing you have done that has caused you to develop NHL.

Who can get non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma?

• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) can occur in people of any age. But almost all types of the disease are more common in older people
• The average age at the time of diagnosis is 65 years old. Although, it can occur in younger adults and even in young children
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma occurs in both sexes, but it is a lot more common in men than in women
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is also more common in people who have a weak immune system, for example, because of an organ transplant or an infection

 

 

Do many people have non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma?

• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) is one of the most common types of cancer. About 1 in every 50 people will develop NHL in their lifetime
• The number of new cases is increasing. There are 80% more new cases now than there were in the 1970s

• There are one million people living with lymphoma around the world. And, approximately 360,000 new cases of lymphoma are diagnosed every year

 

So are there any known causes or risk factors for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma?

The ultimate cause of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) is not known. 

Some things are known to increase the chance of getting NHL, but only a few people with the disease have been exposed to these risk factors.

Some of the most important risk factors are:

• Some types of viral infection such as HIV or Eptstein-Barr virus (EBV)
• Bacterial infection such as Helicobacter pylori (this is the bacterium associated with stomach cancer and it may be also be associated with the rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma called MALT lymphoma)
• Diseases and medications that cause weakening of the body’s natural defences (the immune system). This is sometimes called immunosuppression.