Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and neuroendocrine cancer

We report a unique association between neuroendocrine cancer and chronic ly mphocytic leukaemia (CLL) in a 63-year-old man. Neuroendocrine cancer was r esistant to various conventional treatments and following locoregional prog ression we treated the patient with hypoxic pelvic perfusion of cisplatin 1 00 mg/m(2) plus mitomycin 40 mg/m(2), using the stopflow method, for three cycles: a dramatic and surprising reduction of >75% in the evaluable lesion s was observed, The cumulative effect of treatment produced a complete resp onse from CLL. At cytogenetic examination the neuroendocrine cells were diploid, whereas C LL cells showed trisomy 12, Moreover, deletion of the short arm of chromoso me 3 was found in both neoplastic populations. Whether the abnormality seen on chromosome 3 in the two diseases represents a critical event is not kno wn.