[A prospective view for the new classifications of malignant lymphomas]

Malignant lymphomas, which are now apparently the neoplasms of the immune system, are not a single disease, but represent a group of entities. Because the cells of their normal counterparts undergo differentiation in a complex manner, the corresponding neoplasms are considerably heterogeneous in terms of clinicopathologic features and biologic behavior. Indeed, there are quite a few problems to be solved in the currently used classifications of malignant lymphomas. Their complexity and heterogeneity make it almost impossible, at present, to establish any single classification system which is both clinically useful and scientifically accurate. We, therefore, propose to establish separate clinical and scientific classifications. Our prospective view for the new scientific classification of malignant lymphomas is presented.