[Classification of malignant lymphomas]

Hodgkin's disease is characterized by malignant tumor in lymphoid tissue, excluding non-Hodgkin's lymphomas and lymphoid leukemias. It can be diagnosed by the characteristic histologic picture, which contains Reed-Sternberg cells. The Rye classification for Hodgkin's disease has been useful to date, however, since non-Hodgkin's lymphomas were first recognized as a distinct group a variety of classifications have been proposed although none are entirely satisfactory. At present, it is concluded that the most practical approach to lymphoma categorization is simply to define the diseases with the currently available morphologic, immunologic, and genetic techniques, and use the REAL and WHO classifications for lymphoid malignancies. It is important to develop more concise and practical classifications in the future.