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1st appeared 13 August 1999 UCSF Researchers Report New Risk Factors for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma In a large population-based study conducted on non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, UCSF researchers found that exposure to certain environmental factors that affect the immune system could decrease a person’s risk of developing the disease. The two-part study included a total of 4100 participants, and results for 3376 of the population are published in the August 15 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology. "These findings are important because although there has been a steady increase in the incidence of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, there are very few established risk factors," says Elizabeth Holly, UCSF professor in the department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and lead author of the study. Despite the lack of known risk factors for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, its annual increase of nearly four percent among men and three percent among women has exceeded that of all other cancers except melanoma of the skin. The American Cancer Society estimates that 25,700 people will die of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and 56,800 new cases will be diagnosed this year. The researchers reported that factors associated with an increased risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma include a history of splenectomy (5-fold increase), gonorrhea among men (2-fold increase), polio among men (2.5-fold increase), endocrine gland disorders among women (3.3-fold increase), and cimetidine and histamine H2-receptor antagonists, which are medications for stomach ulcers (2.5-fold). Holly says that the increased risk associated with cimetidine and histamine H2 antagonists is probably related to underlying conditions of stomach ulcers rather than the drugs themselves. In addition, an increased risk was associated with an increased body mass index (BMI). Researchers found that compared with people who had a body mass index (BMI) of less than 20, a person with a BMI of 25 to less than 30 had a 2.0-fold increased risk, whereas a person with a BMI of 30 or more had a 2.5-fold increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. For women, a normal BMI is between 19.1-25.8 and 20.7-26.4 for men. A BMI of 27 or more is defined as overweight for both sexes. "This may be relevant for the more than 50 percent of Americans who are overweight," Holly says. Conversely, researchers found that factors associated with a decreased risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma include allergy to plants (40 percent reduction in risk), bee and wasp stings (26 percent reduction), five or more vaccinations (21 percent reduction), drugs to lower blood cholesterol (43 percent reduction), and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (28 percent reduction). Links: American Journal of Epidemiology UCSF Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Related Daybreak stories: Study Finds No Association Between Hair Dye and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Source: Abby Sinnott, News Services | ||
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