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Medical history and risk of lymphoma: results of a European case–control study (EPILYMPH)

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Abstract

Introduction

Lymphomas are a heterogeneous group of immune-cell malignancies. Immunology-related conditions are among the few factors for which consistent evidence exists relating them to lymphoma risk.

Materials and methods

We used the data from the European case–control study Epilymph on 2,362 lymphoma cases and 2,458 controls to investigate associations between a medical history of infectious and non-infectious diseases with overall and subentity-specific lymphoma risk.

Results

As key results, we observed an increased odds ratio (OR) for self-reported infections with hepatitis B virus (HBV, OR = 1.91, 95% CL = 1.24–2.94) and a null result for rheumatoid arthritis. Additionally, we found an increased OR for infectious mononucleosis (OR = 1.68, 95% CL = 1.14–2.48), an inverse association to frequency of sickness in childhood (OR = 0.68, 95% CL = 0.55–0.84), and—as casual finding—an increased OR with acetaminophen intake (OR = 2.29, 95% CL = 1.49–3.51).

Conclusion

Our results are consistent with the current knowledge about the association with mononucleosis as indicator of Epstein–Barr-virus infection, suggest serological study of the association to HBV infection and do not support the view of a positive association between rheumatoid arthritis and lymphoma risk.

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Acknowledgments

We are indebted to Aurélie Meunier (IARC, Lyon) and Evelin Deeg (German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg) who performed data management (A.M. and E.D.) and assisted data analysis (E.D.). This work was supported by: the EC 5th Framework Program Quality of Life grant No. QLK4-CT-2000-00422; La Fondation de France, no. 1999 0084 71 (France); the Federal Office for Radiation Protection grants No. StSch4261 and StSch4420 (Germany); the Health Research Board, Ireland; the Spanish Ministry of Health grants FIS: 04-0091 and CIBERESP (Spain).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cancer Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center, Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany

    Nikolaus Becker & Alexandra Nieters

  2. Unit of Infections and Cancer, Catalan Institute of Oncology, Barcelona, Spain

    Joan Fortuny, Tomas Alvaro & Silvia de Sanjose

  3. Registre des Hémopathies Malignes, EA4184 University of Burgundy, Dijon, France

    Marc Maynadié

  4. CHU of Dijon, Dijon, France

    Marc Maynadié

  5. Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Brno, Czech Republic

    Lenka Foretova

  6. School of Nursing, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, Ireland

    Anthony Staines

  7. International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France

    Paul Brennan & Paolo Boffetta

  8. Institute of Occupational Medicine, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy

    Pier Luigi Cocco

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  1. Nikolaus Becker
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  2. Joan Fortuny
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  3. Tomas Alvaro
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  4. Alexandra Nieters
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  10. Pier Luigi Cocco
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  11. Silvia de Sanjose
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Correspondence to Nikolaus Becker.

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Becker, N., Fortuny, J., Alvaro, T. et al. Medical history and risk of lymphoma: results of a European case–control study (EPILYMPH). J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 135, 1099–1107 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-009-0551-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-009-0551-2

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