The association of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and multiple myeloma: a study of eleven patients

Abstract

We present haematological and immunological data obtained in 11 patients with the rare association of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and multiple myeloma (MM). CLL occurred before MM in six cases and both diseases were diagnosed simultaneously in five. With regard to CLL, no peculiar clinical feature was found; in six patients, MM was characterized by extra-osseous lesions. A significant remission (3-7 years) was obtained in three patients. In six patients, CLL and plasma cells synthesized Ig molecules with different light chains, probably indicating the coexistence of two distinct clonal proliferations. In two cases where monoclonal Ig synthesized by both types of cells had the same type of light chains, studies with anti-idiotypic antibodies showed that the two proliferations were also distinct. The pathophysiology of this rare association is discussed in the light of these findings and of data from the literature.