¹Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

²Department of Hematopathology The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

³Department of Biomathematics, The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

Correspondence to: M Albitar, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Box 72, The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, Texas 77030, USA; Fax: 713 794-1800

It has been suggested that the expansion of the leukemic cells in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is due to dysregulation of pathways of programmed cell death (apoptosis) rather than cell proliferation, although differences may exist in early vs late and treated vs untreated patients. In the present study, we analyzed the expression of 11 proteins in CLL cells that are implicated in the control of apoptosis, proliferation, and differentiation, and correlated this expression profile with survival. Using a quantitative solid-phase radioimmunoassay (RIA), we measured the cellular protein levels of Bcl-2, cyclin D1, PCNA, ATM, Fas, Bax, retinoic acid receptor alpha (RAR), retinoic acid receptor beta (RXR), Flt1, VEGF, and cellular ₂-microglobulin in 230 samples of CLL. Univariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazard model showed a correlation with survival of only the following proteins: Bcl-2 (P < 0.001), cyclin D1 (P = 0.027), Fas (P = 0.055), PCNA (P < 0.001), and ATM (P = 0.028). In a multivariate analysis using classification and regression tree analysis (CART), five groups of patients (nodes) could be generated with significant differences of survival expectation (P < 0.0001) based on levels of expression of the above proteins. Based on CART analysis, Bcl-2 levels emerge as the most important protein in predicting survival between all 11 proteins studied. Patients with marked elevation in Bcl-2 levels had the worst outcome while patients with intermediate levels, but with high levels of PCNA and cyclin D1 or abnormal ATM expression had intermediate survival. These data indicate that intracellular levels of proteins such as Bcl-2, ATM, cyclin D1, and PCNA can be used as markers to predict clinical behavior and survival in patients with CLL. The pathways in which these proteins are involved may also represent possible targets for future therapeutic trials in CLL.

Leukemia (2002) 16, 1045-1052. DOI: 10.1038/sj/leu/2402540

chronic lymphocytic leukemia; apoptosis; proliferation, Bcl-2; ATM; protein profiling