Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and neuroendocrine cancer.
We report a unique association between neuroendocrine cancer and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) in a 63-year-old man. Neuroendocrine cancer was resistant to various conventional treatments and following locoregional progression we treated the patient with hypoxic pelvic perfusion of cisplatin 100 mg/m2 plus mitomycin 40 mg/m2, using the stopflow method, for three cycles: a dramatic and surprising reduction of > 75% in the evaluable lesions was observed. The cumulative effect of treatment produced a complete response from CLL. At cytogenetic examination the neuroendocrine cells were diploid, whereas CLL cells showed trisomy 12. Moreover, deletion of the short arm of chromosome 3 was found in both neoplastic populations. Whether the abnormality seen on chromosome 3 in the two diseases represents a critical event is not known.
Russo
F
F
Division of Haematologic Oncology, National Cancer Institute of Naples, Italy. guadagni@rdn.it
Guadagni
S
S
Corazzelli
G
G
Frigeri
F
F
Monda
V M
VM
Abate
G
G
D002872:Chromosome Deletion; D002893:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 3 / Q000235:genetics; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D007621:Karyotyping; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged