[Expression of survivin and its clinical significance in non-small cell lung cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of survivin in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and analyze its relationship with clinico pathological features and the expression of p53.

METHODS: The expression of survivin and p53 in 61 cases of NSCLC were detected by immunohistochemistry using monoclonal antibodies against human survivin protein and P53, respectively.

RESULTS: The expression of survivin in NSCLC could be detected in cytoplasm and/or in nucleus. The overall immunoreactivity was found in 77.0% (47/61) of tumors. Cytoplasmic, nuclear and both immunoreactivities were present in 26.2% (16/61), 8.2% (5/61) and 42.62% (26/61) respectively. The cytoplasmic and nuclear immunoreactivities in squamous cell carcinoma (57.6%, 19/33) were higher than that in adenocarcinoma (25%, 7/28) and there was significant difference (P<0.05). The positive expression rates of survivin in P53 positive and negative were 54.3% (19/35) and 26.9%(7/26) respectively and there was significant difference (P<0.05). Survivin expression levels did not correlate with the patient's gender, age, clinical stage, histological differentiation, lymph node metastasis status or survival.

CONCLUSION: survivin was overexpressed in NSCLC. It correlated with pathological type that mainly showed the positive expression rate in squamous cell carcinoma was higher than that in adenocarcinoma. It may play an important role in the carcinogenesis and development of NSCLC by inhibiting tumor cell apoptosis and facilitating angiogenesis. Inactivation of antioncogene p53 and expression of survivin may play synergetic roles in carcinogenesis of NSCLC.