bcl-2 expression in plasma cells from neoplastic gammopathies and reactive plasmacytosis: a comparative study.

Abstract

Globally, the number of bcl-2 (+) plasma cells and the intensity of protein expression in neoplastic gammopathies are significantly higher than in reactive plasmacytosis and bcl-2 levels tend to increase with disease stage. bcl-2 may be relevant to the pathogenesis of malignant gammopathies, prolonging the survival of plasma cells by preventing apoptosis and increasing the chance of acquiring additional gene defects. bcl-2 expression could also contribute to the resistance to chemotherapy observed in MM disease.