Bronchogenic carcinoma in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Fourteen cases of bronchogenic carcinoma were found in 191 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia seen at the Roswell Park Memorial Institute, Buffalo, NY, from 1951 to 1976. Four of these were not diagnosed until the time of autopsy. There was an average lag of nine months between the onset of symptoms and signs suggestive of bronchogenic carcinoma and its diagnosis. In patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a high index of suspicion for bronchogenic carcinoma is necessary for its early detection.