MALT lymphoma was first described by Isaacson et al., in 1983, as an extranodal lymphoma arising in the marginal zone of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue, and has recently aroused much interest among investigators. This disease was incorporated in the REAL classification in 1994, and has since been accepted as an established independent disease entity involving the lymphoid tissues. The purpose of this paper is to comment on the disease concept, pathology, diagnosis and therapy of MALT lymphoma as well as the outlook for its study and management, and to survey the relevant literature.