Diagnosis of drug resistance in acute leukaemia

• Published in: Pathology Vol. 41; p. 28
• Main Authors: Funato, Tadao, Takeda, Mayu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.01.2009
• ISSN: 0031-3025; 1465-3931
• DOI: 10.1097/01268031-200941001-00058

This study is conducted because a major problem in the treatment of leukaemia is the development of resistance to chemotherapeutic agents. Therefore, assessing the drug resistance of leukaemic cells is important for treatment of leukaemia. The resistance has been thought to be associated with rapid drug efflux mediated by a member of the superfamily of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters such as the multidrug resistance gene 1 (MDR1;encoding P-glycoprotein). However, a significant number of patients who do not express MDR become resistant to chemotherapy, suggesting the involvement of other intracellular mechanisms, as observed in cytarabine (ara-C) or cyclophosphamide resistance. The method used for this study are multiple techniques including quantitative RT-PCR analysis, flow cytometry assay, and sensitisation of leukaemic cells to drugs quantified by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. In this study, we cover current findings and suggest that the different methods for determining drug resistance and, in particular, discuss the efficacy of quantitative analysis and genecopy numbers of drug resistance related genes transcripts or gene amplification for the prediction of clinical drug resistance in acute leukaemia.