A small-animal model was developed as a guide to whole-body hyperthermia in cancer patiens. Anesthetized DBA/2 mice were secured to a platform, and their hindlimbs were immersed in a 42.3 degrees C water bath for 30-60 minutes. Hindlimb hyperthermia reulted in steady-state rectal and femoral bone marrow and muscle temperatures of 42 degrees C and upper extremity muscle and esophagus temperatures of 41 degrees C. With this hyper thermia technique, the mouse spleen colony assay could be used to quantitate the lethality of hyperthermia and/or cis-dichloro-diammineplatinum(II) (cis-platinum) on clonogenic bone marrow and leukemia cells. Hyperthermia prior to cis-platinum administration increased cis-platinum inhibition of leukemia colony formation as much as 2 logs; however, antileukemia synergism ws greatest when cis-platinum administration immediately preceded hyperthermia and no evidence existd of synergism against normal bone marrow colonies. Correlative in vivo drug uptake studies showed a marked increase in leukemia cell uptake of 195mPt-cis-platinum at elevated temperatures, which suggested a potential mechanism for the apparent antileukemia synergism of cis-platinum and heat.