(Expression of Bcl-2 in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML

Abstract

The defects in mitochondrial - mediated pathway of apoptosis may lead to over expression of certain genes such as Bcl-2 which plays a critical role in inhibiting anticancer drug-induced apoptosis. So, high levels of Bcl-2 expression have generally been shown to correlate with a poor treatment outcome in some hematological malignancies. This study aimed to evaluate the significance of Bcl-2 frequency as a prognostic marker in newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Thirty patients with de novo acute leukemia presented to National Cancer Institute, Cairo University were included in this study. Bcl-2 positivity was measured by flow-cytomtry . using a monoclonal antibody and RT-PCR. Our results have shown that the frequency of Bcl-2 was not associated with chemotherapy resistance in acute leukemia patients. The expression of Bcl-2 after treatment was strongly correlated with mortality of the chemotherapy.