Lymphoma is a relatively uncommon type of cancer and until
recently we know so little of them that even the names of lymphoma
were in dispute. The two main groups are Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin
lymphoma. Among non-Hodgkin lymphoma, they can be subdivided into
B-cell, T-cell, NK/T cells or histiocytic subgroups. There are many
different disease entities in each subgroup.
Your question is about the cause of lymphoma. For Hodgkin lymphoma,
many are due to a virus known as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). You said
you are interested in B-cell Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The problem is
that there are many different disease entities under this heading.
The cause is known for some of them and unknown for many of them.
To discuss further, we need to know what type of B-cell Non-Hodgkin
lymphoma you are interested in. For example. one type known as
extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of MALT (mucosa associated
lymphoid tissue) type is common in the stomach and is usually due
to a bacteria known as Helicobacter pylori. Another type which is
very aggressive, known as Burkitt lymphoma, is due to the EBV
virus, and is endemic in parts of Africa but we do see it in our
population as well. However, the cause for many other subtypes is
still unknown although we have some idea of the mechanism and the
genetic changes leading to the cancer.
