Original Contribution Ultraviolet Radiation Exposure and Risk of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Sun exposure has been suggested to increase the risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The authors analyzed data from a population-based, case-control study of Connecticut women between 1996 and 2000 to study the hypoth-esis. Women who reported having had a suntan experienced an increased risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma with increasing duration (ptrend 0.0062) compared with women who reported never having had a suntan. An almost threefold increased risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was observed among women who reported having had a suntan for less than 3 months per year and a suntan history of more than 60 years (odds ratio 2.8, 95% confidence interval: 1.6, 4.9) compared with those who reported never having had a suntan. For women who reported having spent time in strong sunlight between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. during the summer, a 70 % increased risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was observed for the highest tertile of duration compared with the lowest (odds ratio 1.7, 95 % confidence interval: 1.2, 2.4). The risk increased with increasing duration of time spent in strong sunlight in summer (ptrend 0.0051). The risk appears to vary by non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma subtypes. Further investigations of the role of ultraviolet radiation on the risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma are warranted. case-control studies; lymphoma, non-Hodgkin; radiation, nonionizing; ultraviolet rays Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; OR, odds ratio. The incidence of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma has been in