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. 1994 Dec;70(6):1144–1149. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1994.462

P-glycoprotein and glutathione S-transferase pi in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

A Sauerbrey 1, F Zintl 1, M Volm 1
PMCID: PMC2033687  PMID: 7981066

Abstract

Blast cells obtained from 104 children with untreated acute lymphoblastic leukaemia were analysed for the expression of P-glycoprotein (P-170) and glutathione S-transfer pi (GST-pi) using immunohistochemistry. Expression of P-170 was detected in 36 of 104 patients (35%) and increased GST-pi was seen in 52 patients (50%). Coexpression of both resistance proteins was observed in 22 leukaemias (21%), whereas no evidence of the resistance markers was found in 38 cases (37%). In patients with P-170-positive leukaemic cells, a significantly lower probability of remaining in first continuous complete remission (CCR) was observed when compared with patients with P-170-negative tumours (P < 0.05). However, only a trend for a more frequent expression of P-170 was found in the leukaemic cells of patients who experienced relapses (P = 0.099). Overexpression of GST-pi was correlated with a higher relapse rate (P = 0.001) and a lower probability of remaining in first CCR (P = 0.01). Expression of P-170 and GST-pi was independent of sex, FAB type, immunological subtype and initial blast cell count. The multivariate analysis indicated that only the expression of P-170 is an unfavourable prognostic factor for children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in addition to the prognostic clinical factors.

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Selected References

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