Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is usually an indolent disorder which in some patients assumes an aggressive clinical course. In order to assess at presentation the prognosis of a given patient, several staging systems and prognostic variables have been proposed including the expression of the Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA). PCNA is a 36 kd nuclear protein, the regulation of which is cell cycle-dependent. In CLL, PCNA levels correlate with cell proliferation, clinical stage and the lymphocyte doubling time (LDT). Furthermore, preliminary data suggests that PCNA expression may also predict response to Fludarabine-based chemotherapy. Since PCNA is a cofactor for Delta DNA polymerase, PCNA overexpression in CLL may also reflect the intrinsic DNA repair activity of the leukemic cells and thus their resistance to chemotherapy. Further studies aiming at modulation of PCNA expression in CLL cells may clarify this issue and may offer a future new therapeutic strategy with which to treat this disorder.