Name
#39 Invisible wounds: Suicide in military service members with lymphoma
Speakers
Content Presented On Behalf Of:
Air Force
Session Type
Poster
Date
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Start Time
5:00 PM
End Time
7:00 PM
Location
Prince Georges Expo Hall E
Focus Areas/Topics
Clinical Care
Learning Outcomes
1. Describe the suicide risk among Tricare-eligible U.S. military service members with lymphoma and compare this risk between previously deployed and non-deployed personnel.
2. Identify the demographic, clinical, and service-related variables (e.g., age at diagnosis, active-duty status, lymphoma subtype) that were adjusted for in the multivariable analysis of suicide mortality.
3. Recognize patterns of suicide latency among military lymphoma survivors and compare these patterns to previously reported civilian suicide risk timelines.
4. Discuss potential factors contributing to the low suicide mortality observed in this population, including survivorship care and access to mental health services within the Tricare system.
2. Identify the demographic, clinical, and service-related variables (e.g., age at diagnosis, active-duty status, lymphoma subtype) that were adjusted for in the multivariable analysis of suicide mortality.
3. Recognize patterns of suicide latency among military lymphoma survivors and compare these patterns to previously reported civilian suicide risk timelines.
4. Discuss potential factors contributing to the low suicide mortality observed in this population, including survivorship care and access to mental health services within the Tricare system.
Session Currently Live
Description
Introduction: Military service members with lymphoma have superior overall survival than their matched civilian counterparts (1), but details on cause-specific survival are lacking. U.S. military service members and lymphoma survivors both represent populations that are at elevated risk of experiencing significant psychosocial stress. Mental health sequelae such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are prevalent among service members who have deployed overseas. Lymphoma in an active-duty or retired service member with previous deployment experience likely brings on added layers of psychosocial stress.
Methods: Tricare-eligible U.S. military service members and retirees diagnosed with Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma between 2001–2022 were identified from the Department of War Cancer Registry.
Deployment data were obtained from the Defense Manpower Data Center and death certificate data to determine underlying cause of death was obtained from the CDC’s National Death Index. Death by suicide was captured by ICD-9 codes E950-E959 and ICD-10 codes X60–X84. The association between deployment and death by suicide was estimated by Cox proportional regression estimating the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval adjusted for: age at diagnosis of lymphoma (continuous), race/ethnicity, active-duty status (active duty vs. retiree), military service branch, lymphoma subtype, and stage.
Results: Suicide was the cause of death in 8 individuals, including 2 previously deployed (0.2%) and 6 non-deployed (0.2%), adjusted HR=1.53, 95% CI=0.23-10.13. Among those who died of suicide, the 2 previously deployed military members both had nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma, while lymphomas represented in the 6 non-deployed service members include diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma, small lymphocytic lymphoma, and T-cell lymphoma. Suicide risk by multivariate analysis did not differ appreciably between those with and without prior deployment.
Conclusions: Despite mental health ramifications of military service which are not uncommon after deployment, the crude suicide risk was low in military members with lymphoma. The risk did not differ appreciably between those with and without prior deployment. In Tricare-eligible service members, suicide occurred after prolonged latency into survivorship. This contrasts with the elevated suicide risk within the first 3 years of diagnosis in civilian populations based on historical data. The low numbers and prolonged latency after lymphoma diagnosis suggests improved access to mental health services and survivorship care among Tricare-eligible military members.