Detection of cells with phenotype of multiple drug resistance in myeloproliferative disorders before the treatment

: The expression of the multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotype is connected with the overexpression of P-glycoprotein. By applying the immunocytochemical assay we have demonstrated that in myeloproliferative diseases (AML, ALL, MDS, CGL), in single cases, in smear preparations from the peripheral blood and bone marrow the cells with MDR-positive phenotype can be detected in the material obtained from patients before therapy, and without clinically and anamnestically known exposure to cytotoxic or immunosuppressive drugs. This finding has demonstrated the presence of subpopulations of MDR-positive cells in leukemias and myelodysplastic syndromes already before therapy, and, furthermore, has evidenced that a positive MDR phenotype is not necessarily associated with a malignant phenotype of a malignant cell transformation.