Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disorder characterized by clonal expansion of abnormal myeloid progenitor cells (blasts) in the bone marrow and peripheral blood. The genetic alterations arising in the neoplastic clone lead to cascades of molecular events that cause abnormal proliferation, aberrant differentiation, and inhibition of normal hematopoiesis by the malignant cells.

MSLN is not only expressed in solid tumors but also there is a correlation in its expression in AML.

Recent studies have shown that MSLN is highly expressed

in 36% of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients and barely expressed in normal hematopoietic cells, which makes MSLN a promising target for the treatment of AML.

In all MSLN cases, MSLN expression was confined to the leukemic blasts and was absent from normal hematopoietic cells. Aberrant MSLN expression on tumor cells plays an important role in promoting proliferation, invasion and induces resistence to apoptosis.

AIM OF WORK:

The aim of this study was to determine the relative expression level of MSLN gene and its relation with other clinicopathological parameters in a cohort of Egyptian patients with acute myeloid leukemia.