Mcl-1 expression has in vitro and in vivo significance in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and is associated with other poor prognostic markers.

Bcl-2 family proteins play a critical role in the regulation of apoptosis in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). However, their association with established prognostic markers is unknown. In this study, we analyzed the expression of Bcl-2, Bax, and Mcl-1 in 185 CLL patients and evaluated their relationship with other prognostic markers, in vitro sensitivity to fludarabine, and clinical outcome. Mcl-1 expression was significantly correlated with stage of disease (P < .001), lymphocyte doubling time (P = .01), VH gene mutation status (P < .001), CD38 expression (P < .001), and ZAP-70 expression (P = .003). In addition, Mcl-1 and Mcl-1/Bax ratios showed strong correlations with in vitro resistance to fludarabine (P = .005 and P < .001, respectively). Furthermore, elevated Mcl-1 expression and Mcl-1/Bax ratios were predictive of time to first treatment in the whole cohort (P < .001 and P < .001, respectively) and in stage A patients only (P = .002 and P = .001, respectively). Taken together, our data show that Mcl-1 is a key controller of in vitro drug resistance and is an important regulator of disease progression and outcome in CLL. It therefore represents a promising therapeutic target in this incurable condition. The close correlation between Mcl-1 expression and VH gene mutation status, CD38 expression, and ZAP-70 expression offers a biologic explanation for their association with adverse prognosis.