**2.2 Morphoimmunological characteristics of MALT lymphoma**

The study was performed in 71 patients aged 14 to 83 years, mean age 54.32 years. MALT lymphoma is always accompanied by active chronic inflammation which in half of cases is associated with H. p. infection; mucosal defects are found in two thirds of cases. MALT lymphoma has a very polymorphous morphological picture due to heterogeneous composition of the tumor component and a great interpatient variability of combinations. We assessed the following histological signs:

	- 1.Cells with mainly round nuclei (morphologically closest to small lymphocytes: with clearcut nucleus outline, highly dispersed chromatin, non-visualized nucleoli, cytoplasm looking like a narrow, poorly outlined rim) — 5 cases (7.04%) (**Figure 1**).
	- 2.Cells with centrocytoid morphology (small cells with cleaved or wedge-like nuclei, moderately dispersed or granulated chromatin, invisible nucleoli and a moderately wide cytoplasm rim) — 7 cases (9.86%).
	- 3.Cells with mixed morphology (round and centrocytoid nuclei) 53 cases (74.65%).
	- 4.Cells with irregular nuclei 6 cases (8.45%).
