Evidence supporting the contribution of oxidative stress to key pathways in cancer, such as inflammation and DNA damage, continues to mount. We investigated variations within genes mediating oxidative stress to determine whether they alter risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Thirteen single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 10 oxidative stress genes (AKR1A1, AKR1C1, CYBA, GPX, MPO, NOS2A, NOS3, OGG1, PPARG and SOD2) were genotyped in 1172 NHL cases and 982 population-based controls from a USA multicenter case-control study. For NHL and five subtypes (diffuse large B-cell, follicular, marginal zone, small lymphocytic and T-cell), SNP associations were calculated. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were adjusted for sex, age (<45, 45-64, 65+ years), race (white, black, other) and study site. Overall, the oxidative stress pathway was associated significantly with the B-cell NHL subtype, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (global P-value=0.003). Specifically, for nitric oxide synthase (NOS2A Ser608Leu, rs2297518) Leu/Leu homozygotes, there was a 2-fold risk increase for NHL (OR=2.2, 95% CI=1.1-4.4) (referent=Ser/Ser and Ser/Leu). This risk increase was consistent by cell lineage (B- and T-cell NHL) and pronounced for the two most common subtypes, diffuse large B-cell (OR=3.4, 95% CI=1.5-7.8) and follicular lymphoma (OR=2.6, 95% CI=1.0-6.8). In an analysis of manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD2 Val16Ala, rs1799725) Ala/Ala homozygotes, we observed moderately increased risks for B-cell lymphomas (OR=1.3, 95% CI=1.0-1.6; referent=Val/Val and Val/Ala) that was consistent across the B-cell subtypes. Genetic variations that result in an increased generation of reactive oxygen species appear to increase risk for NHL and its major subtypes, particularly DLBCL. Independent replication of our findings are warranted and further evaluation of oxidative stress in the context of inflammation, DNA repair and the induction of the NF-kappaB pathway may further reveal important clues for lymphomagenesis.