Causes
The exact cause isn't known, but doctors believe a virus or activation of abnormal genes may be involved in some cases. Some risk factors are thought to be:
- being aged 60 and above
- autoimmune disease (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis)
- exposure to pesticides, chemical solvents, and dyes
- exposure to some viral infections such as Epstein-Barr virus
- immunodeficiency states such as AIDS, congenital immunodeficiency, chronic immunosuppression by medications
- prior exposure to chemotherapy or radiation therapy
People can have non-Hodgkin's lymphoma even without these risk factors.