A prospective, multidisciplinary study of 168 newly diagnosed patients with early breast cancer and Hodgkin's or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was conducted. Psychological assessments were conducted at 3 and 12 months following diagnosis and correlated with clinical and pathological variables. There was no statistical association between psychological response to breast cancer and any other prognostic variable measured. In lymphoma patients of both groups there was evidence of greater psychiatric morbidity in those with more advanced disease and those who failed to respond to treatment. However there was also no statistical association between any cognitive response category and known prognostic variables. There was no evidence that the patient's gender or type of tumour affected their overall mental adjustment to cancer and the effect described in breast cancer may apply to all types of malignant disease.