ABSTRACT
Drug resistance is considered to be the major cause of failure of anticancer therapy in patients with malignancy negative regulator of apoptosis such as BCL 2 have also been considered. The aim of this work is to evaluate P-gp and BCL 2 expression level and its significant prognostic value in acute lymphoblastic leukemia [ALL] amid disseminated non-Hodgkin lymphoma [D-NHL]. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from newly diagnosed cases [30 ALL, 30 D-NHL] and 20 healthy control subjects were collected. lmmunohistochemical staining of mononuclear cells using BCL 2, P-glycoprotein [P-gp] monoclonal antibodies. A Statistically significant increase of P-gp and BCL 2 expression on malignant cells was found in ALL and D-NHL cases compared to the normal control. No statistical significant difference in BCL 2 or P-gp expression in different immunopenotypic patterns, different FAB subtypes of ALL cases or different pathological types or grades of D-NHL cases. A significant statistical correlation was found between the level of BCL 2 and P-gp expression and decreased disease free survival [DFS] and over all survival [OS] in NHL and ALL cases. Assessment of multi drug resistance mechanisms based on both P-gp and BCL 2 expression level is suggested to be an important predictor of treatment outcome in ALL and D-NHL cases