Nearly all non-Hodgkin lymphomas are sporadic. This means that there is no genetic cause and the cancers do not run in families.

There are, however, a few rare disorders of the immune system, which are caused by abnormal genes, which can be passed from one generation to the next and which carry an increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma. These include:

• Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome
• hereditary ataxia telangiectasia
• common variable immunodeficiency
• X-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome

These are all very rare conditions. When they do occur they lead to 'clusters' of non-Hodgkin lymphoma within a family so there is always an obvious history of a number of family members having lymphomas. So, unless you know of several other family members who have had non-Hodgkin lymphoma, there is no risk of you inheriting the condition from your father.