Hematologic Malignancies Program

Patient and Family Education

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Risk and Prevention

The American Cancer Society predicts that approximately 66,120 new cases of non-hodgkin's lymphoma will be diagnosed in 2008. More than 95 percent of these cases will occur in adults, but non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is also one of the more common childhood cancers. The disease affects more men than women and more white Americans than African Americans or Asian Americans. The risk of developing the disease increases with age.

The only known preventable risk factor for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is infection with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and other infections that weaken the immune system. People with HIV have an increased risk for developing certain types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

This page was last updated on: October 7, 2009.