To estimate the genetic susceptibility for childhood lymphoma, we conducted an association study for 23 cases and 148 controls. Total 1536 tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected in 138 candidate gene regions related to immune responses, apoptosis, the cell cycle, and DNA repair. Twelve SNPs were significantly associated with the risk of lymphoma (P(trend)<0.05) in six genes (IL1RN, IL2, IL12RB1, JAK3, TNFRSF13B, and XRCC3). The most significant association was seen for IL2 variant rs2069762 (OR(TG+GG) vs. TT=3.43 (1.29-9.11), P(trend)=0.002, minP=0.005). These findings suggest that common genetic variants in IL2 might play a role in the pathogenesis of childhood lymphoma.