According to some authors, prior tonsillectomy and/or appendectomy increase the frequency of certain types of neoplasm. 731 cases of malignant lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease (HD) and non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), and an equal number of controls were reviewed retrospectively to evaluate the frequency of tonsillectomy and appendectomy and the age at onset of the lymphomas. The results exclude that prior tonsillectomy and/or appendectomy increase the probability of development of lymphomas. Likewise, the age at onset of HD or NHL was not influenced by the surgical ablation of the palatine tonsils and the appendi