[Treatment of malignant lymphoma under consideration of its biological behavior]

Malignant lymphoma is very heterogeneous in terms of its biological behavior. A strategy for the treatment of malignant lymphoma fundamentally requires a multidisciplinary field of treatment including mainly chemotherapy and radiotherapy in collaboration with surgical procedure and immunotherapy. The expressions of biological behavior such as histologic type, immunologic type, and stage of disease which influence the therapeutic effect and prognosis are actually very important in deciding a plan of treatment. Recent advances in chemotherapy have made it possible to cure advanced lymphoma patients, especially those with Hodgkin's disease. In this article the present state of treatment for malignant lymphoma is briefly reviewed from the viewpoint of its biological behavior.