Do Military Occupations Increase the Risk of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma?

Background There is some evidence for the greater risk of cancer in military forces particularly who have had a history of deployment to battlefields. While a greater frequency of non-hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) was reported in Vietnam veterans, the association of NHL with military jobs is still controversial. Methods In a case-control multi-center study, 500 individuals (185 NHL, 315 age and gender matched controls) were evaluated for the potential association of military occupation with NHL as well as the impact of family history, past medical history, and risky behaviors. Results Having 171 individuals with a military occupation, no significant impact of military jobs on the incidence of NHL was found (P = 0.95). Instead, family history, past medical history of infectious diseases, viral infections and helicobacter, smoking and addiction had a significant association with NHL incidence (OR = 3.88, 4.07, 15.64 and 4.49, respectively). Autoimmune diseases had no relationship with NHL. Conclusions No evidence for any association of military occupations with NHL was found. Instead, conventional risk factors accounted for the NHL diagnosis which could be avoided or controlled by early diagnosis in high risk individuals in military forces.