Overall, the chance that a man will develop NHL in his lifetime is about 1 in 41; for a woman, the risk is about 1 in 52. But each person’s risk can be affected by a number of risk factors.
NHL can occur at any age. In fact, it is one of the more common cancers among children, teens, and young adults. Still, the risk of developing NHL increases throughout life, and more than half of patients are 65 or older at the time of diagnosis. The aging of the American population is likely to lead to an increase in NHL cases during the coming years.