Malignant lymphoma of mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue

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Abstract
Lymphomas of the gastrointestinal tract, salivary glands, lung and thyroid are grouped together as tumours arising in mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue. The great majority of them are of B‐cell origin but distinctive T‐cell lymphomas are also recognized in the gastrointestinal tract. These lymphomas tend to remain localized for prolonged periods but, whereas the B‐cell group respond favourably to local therapy, the T‐cell group are associated with severe morbidity and their overall prognosis is extremely poor. Accepted histological classifications of non‐Hodgkin's lymphomas are difficult to apply to these tumours. In this paper their morphological features are reviewed; recent findings based on immunohistochemistry and DNA analysis are presented; and the biological behaviour of these tumours is discussed insofar as they offer insight into mucosal immunological mechanisms.