Results on lymphomas trend analysis carried out in the database of the Italian Network of Cancer Registries (pool AIRT) in the period 1986-1997 are presented. Hodgkin lymphoma (2,959 cases and 911 deaths included in the analysis) shows a decreasing incidence trend, statistically significant among males. Standardised mortality rates decrease significantly in both sexes, on an average of 7-9%/year. As regards non-Hodgkin lymphomas (16, 470 incident cases and 7,193 deaths), there is a significant increasing trend, in both sexes, both for incidence (more than 3 %/years) and mortality (about 2%/year).