Cigarette smoking, familial hematopoietic cancer, hair dye use, and risk of t(14;18)-defined subtypes of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Some evidence suggests that smoking, a family history of hematopoietic cancer, and use of hair dyes are associated with t(14;18)-defined subsets of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in men. To further evaluate these associations and to expand them to women, the authors determined t(14;18)(q32;q21) status by fluorescence in situ hybridization in 172 of 175 tumor blocks from a population-based case-control study conducted in Nebraska during 1983-1986. Exposures in 65 t(14;18)-positive cases and 107 t(14;18)-negative cases were compared with those among 1,432 controls. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated using polytomous logistic regression. Among men, smoking was not associated with risk of t(14;18)-positive or -negative NHL. Among women who had ever smoked cigarettes, there was an association with risk of t(14;18)-negative NHL (odds ratio (OR) = 1.9, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1, 3.3) but not t(14;18)-positive NHL (p-difference = 0.01). The risks for t(14;18)-negative NHL among women increased with longer duration (>30 years: OR = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.1, 4.1) and early initiation (age ≤20 years: OR = 2.2, 95% CI: 1.1, 4.4) of smoking. A family history of hematopoietic cancer was associated with a twofold higher risk for both t(14;18)-defined NHL subtypes among men and women. Hair dye use was not associated with either subtype. These findings should be interpreted cautiously because of the small sample.