Expression of multidrug resistance (P‐glycoprotein) gene in liver cancers

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinomas have been known to exhibit a poor response to chemotherapeutic agents. However, the mechanism for drug resistance is unknown. Recent studies have demonstrated that expression of a group of membrane proteins known as P‐glycoproteins (P‐gp) or multidrug transporters encoded by multidrug‐resistance (MDR) or P‐glycoprotein gene family is correlated with a poor clinical prognosis for particular non‐responsive neoplasms. The possible involvement ofMDRgene expression with the intrinsic poor response to chemotherapeutic agents is discussed.