REAL classification of malignant lymphomas in the republic of korea

The occurrence rates for various subtypes of malignant lymphoma in the Republic of Korea are distinct from those in Western countries and similar in many ways to those in other countries in the Far East. Compared with other Far East countries, the Republic of Korea has a higher rate of extranodal lymphoma, rare adult T-cell lymphoma, and a relatively low rate of T-cell lymphomas. It appears that over time there have been changes in the relative rates for follicular lymphoma, subtypes of Hodgkin's disease, and gastric and orbital lymphoma. The authors attribute these changes primarily to refined criteria for diagnosing new clinicopathologic entities.