Nutritional factors and the development of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a review of the evidence.

Lymphomas of the non-Hodgkin's type represent a heterogeneous group of tumors, probably comprised of groups of related diseases each with a distinct etiology. The epidemiology of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is poorly characterized, and little is known about factors which increase a person's risk of developing one of these tumors. Available epidemiological evidence suggests the influence of a number of environmental factors. Although diet is potentially one of the most significant environmental factors that could be related to disease etiology, very little has been done to investigate the role of diet in the development of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In this paper, the existing epidemiological findings are reviewed, and the plausibility of an etiological association between dietary factors and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is considered in the context of relevant animal research.