ABT-737 induces efficient and rapid apoptosis in CLL independent of prognostic markers. (A) PBMCs derived from 60 patients with CLL were exposed for 4 hours to 7 different concentrations of ABT-737 (0.1-100 nM). Apoptosis was assessed by externalization of PS and Annexin V/FITC binding. Each line represents one patient. The EC50 value was plotted against (B) IGHV status (M = mutated, U = unmutated), (C) p53 mutational status (U = unmutated, M = mutated), (D) genomic aberrations, including deletions (del) in 13q14, 11q23, and 17p13 as well as trisomy 12 (t12) detected using FISH, (E) the Binet stage of the disease at diagnosis, (F) whether the patient had received prior treatment or not, and (G) whether the patient was resistant to fludarabine (Y) or not (N). Statistics were done with GraphPad Prism. To determine P values, the unpaired t test was used in panels B, C, F, and G, and one-way ANOVA in panels D and E.
