What Causes Lymphoma of the Skin?

Some risk factors can make a person more likely to get lymphoma of the skin, but it’s not always clear exactly how these factors might increase risk.

Here is what we know so far about the causes of skin lymphoma.

Changes in genes can lead to cancer

Cancer (including lymphoma of the skin) is caused by changes in the DNA inside our cells. DNA is the chemical in our cells that makes up our genes, which control how our cells function.

Our DNA, which comes from both our parents, affects more than just how we look.

Different genes have different functions. Some genes normally help control when our cells grow, divide to make new cells, or repair mistakes in DNA. They also cause cells to die when they’re supposed to.

If these genes aren’t working properly, it can lead to cells growing out of control. For example:

• Oncogenes: Changes in genes that normally help cells grow, divide, or stay alive can lead to these genes being more active than they should be, causing them to become oncogenes. These genes can result in cells growing out of control.
• Tumor suppressor genes: Genes that normally help keep cell division under control or cause cells to die at the right time are known as tumor suppressor genes. Changes that turn off these genes can result in cells growing out of control.
• DNA repair genes: Some genes normally help detect and repair mistakes in a cell’s DNA. Changes that turn off these DNA repair genes can result in the buildup of DNA changes within a cell, which might lead to them growing out of control.

Any of these types of DNA changes might lead to cells growing out of control, which could lead to cancer. To learn more, see Oncogenes, Tumor Suppressor Genes, and DNA Repair Genes.

Are skin lymphoma gene changes inherited from a parent?

Some people inherit DNA mutations (changes) from a parent that increase their risk of developing some types of cancer. But lymphoma of the skin is not one of the cancer types often caused by inherited mutations.

DNA changes related to lymphoma of the skin are usually acquired during life, rather than being inherited.

Acquired gene changes

Some of these acquired changes may have outside causes (such as infections), but they often happen for no apparent reason. They seem to happen more often as we age, which may help explain why most types of skin lymphomas usually occur in older people.

Scientists are learning about the exact gene changes that cause skin lymphomas. But even though they have found some of these gene changes, they still don’t know why these changes occur.

The role of the immune system in skin lymphomas

Lymphomas develop from cells called lymphocytes, which are part of the body’s immune system. Perhaps not surprisingly, some factors that affect the immune system seem to raise a person’s risk of skin lymphomas (and other lymphomas).

People with weakened immune systems

People with weakened immune systems (such as people with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and people who’ve had an organ transplant) seem to have a greater chance of developing skin lymphoma, but it’s not clear why.

Some types of infections

Some types of infections also seem to raise the risk of skin lymphomas. This might be because the infections force the body’s immune system to constantly be active. As more lymphocytes are made to fight the infection, there is a greater chance that some of these cells will have DNA mutations in key genes, which might eventually lead to lymphoma. Researchers are still studying this.