Lymphohematopoietic malignancies

Abstract

Lymphohematopoietic malignancies, which include lymphomas, leukemias, and multiple myeloma, encompass a heterogeneous, but related, group of cancers that, collectively, are among the top 5 or 6 most common cancers in women and men worldwide. The incidence rate increased dramatically during the latter half of the twentieth century in the USA, Europe, and other developedregions, and the causes of this dramatic increase remain unidentified. The lymphohematopoietic system appears to be vulnerable to neoplastic changes from a variety of occupational exposures.Accepted causes of lymphohematopoietic cancers are limited at this time to benzene, 1,3-butadiene, and ionizing radiation for myeloid cell leukemias. Probable causes for at least certain lymphohematopoietic cancer subtypes, that are as yet debated, are formaldehyde, ethylene oxide, certain pesticides, animal exposures, and trichloroethylene and other solvents.