Clinical Significance of Beclin 1 Expression in Patients of Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Background: Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is an aggressive form of hematological malignancy in adults, marked by the buildup of immature white blood cells in the bone marrow and blood. Beclin 1, which is an autophagy gene, may play a role in leukemia progression, but its clinical significance in AML remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to assess Beclin 1 expression level as a prognostic marker in AML patients. Methods: A prospective case-control study was conducted on 80 participants at Zagazig University Hospitals, divided into (Patient Group): 40 adult AML patients and (Control Group): 40 healthy controls. Blood and bone marrow samples were collected before starting treatment, and Beclin 1 expression was measured using quantitative real-time PCR. Results: A significant drop was found in Beclin 1 levels among AML patients compared to healthy individuals (p < 0.001). Patients were divided according to level of expression.Those with reduced expression had poorer treatment outcomes as only 30.8% of them achieved complete remission, compared to 85.7% with normal expression group (p = 0.001). Moreover, the one-year OS was significantly lower in the reduced expression group (34.6%) than in the normal group (85.7%), with a fivefold increased risk of death (HR = 5.43, p = 0.002). Conclusion: Beclin 1 expression is decreased in AML. Low Beclin 1 is associated with lower rates of CR. It could be a significant marker in predicting response to treatment and disease progression, so it may be of a potential use as target molecule in therapy.