Linking Environmental Exposures to Molecular Pathogenesis in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Subtypes

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma comprises a heterogeneous group of hematologic malignancies, with about 60 subtypes that arise via various pathogenetic mechanisms. Although establishing etiology for specific NHL subtypes has been historically difficult given their relative rarity, environmental exposures have been repeatedly implicated as risk factors across many subtypes. Large-scale epidemiologic investigations have pinpointed chemical exposures in particular, but causality has not been established, and the exact biologic mechanisms underpinning these associations are unclear. Here we review chemical exposures that have been associated with development of NHL subtypes and discuss their biologic plausibility based on current research.