The Relationship between Exposure to Pesticides and the Occurrence of Lymphoid Neoplasm

BACKGROUND The etiology of malignant lymphoma is still largely unknown. This study determines the relationship between exposure to pesticides and the occurrence of lymphoid neoplasms in Shiraz, Southern Iran. METHODS Between 2007 and 2008, in a case control study conducted in Nemazee Hospital in Shiraz, Southern Iran, 200 subjects diagnosed with lymphoma according to the World Health Organization (WHO) classification were enrolled. Controls (n=200) were frequency matched to the cases by sex, age, and center. Subjects who were a farmer were compared with all other occupations. RESULTS Out of the 200 cases that were diagnosed as lymphoid neoplasms, 100 were non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, 54 Hodgkin's lymphoma and 46 multiple myeloma. Seventy two percent of the NHL's were of the B-cell type, 15% of the T-cell type and the rest were not classified. Furthermore, subjects exposed to pesticides were at an increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and MM, but not Hodgkin lymphoma. CONCLUSION Risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and MM was highest for exposure to pesticides, among them, insecticide's risk was confirmed.