Lymphoma and diabetes have been examined in many recent studies. Now researchers are saying that people with diabetes are at a 19% greater risk of getting non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) than those who don’t have diabetes. So, what is the connection between lymphoma and diabetes? This is still unclear. What is known is that lymphoma occurs when circulating immune cells proliferate out of control. Researchers suggest that the link between diabetes and lymphoma has a lot to do with how diabetes affects the immune system. Obesity seems to be a major factor as well (Diabetes.org, 2012).

Lymphoma is a type of cancer that begins in immune system cells called lymphocytes. Lymphocytes are white blood cells that move throughout the lymphatic system, which is part of the immune system, in order to fight off anything which threatens the body. There are two primary types of lymphocytes, B cells and T cells. Lymphoma …