[Epidemiology and geo-pathology of malignant lymphomas with special emphasis on Japanese lymphomas].

The descriptive epidemiology and geo-pathology of malignant lymphomas have been hampered by the absence of a unified classification. Recent proposal of the REAL classification which will soon become the WHO classification is a significant step toward better understandings of the epidemiology of this interesting neoplasia. Worldwide epidemic of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was discussed with possible relationships to herbicides. General characteristics of Japanese lymphomas as compared to Western lymphomas were described with special emphasis on the correlation between the low incidence rates of follicular lymphomas and Hodgkin's lymphomas.