P-glycoprotein expression as unfavorable prognostic factor in acute myeloid leukemia

In order to further define the role of the MDR1 gene in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), we determined the association between the presence of P-glycoprotein on leukemic cells and the efficacy of therapy in patients with AML. Immunocytochemistry with monoclonal antibody C219 was performed to demonstrate the presence of P-glycoprotein. Positive staining ranged from 0 to 60% of the leukemic cells. For further analysis, patients were assigned into groups with 0-5% staining cells (group 1, n = 33) and with > 5% staining cells (group 2, n = 19). The complete remission rate of induction chemotherapy was 76% for group 1 but only 32% for group 2 (p = 0.002). The median duration of overall survival was 19 months for patients in group 1 as compared to 3 months for patients in group 2 (p = 0.007). The data indicate that P-glycoprotein expression is associated with an unfavorable prognosis in patients with AML.