ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Survivin is involved in both the control of cell division and the inhibition of apoptosis. Specifically, its anti-apoptotic function is related to the ability to inhibit caspases directly or indirectly. This study examined the expression patterns of survivin in normal colorectal tissues and in colorectal cancer tissues to determine whether the expression of survivin is associated with either the colorectal cancer characteristics or the prognosis. METHODS: 4micrometer sections of the formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples of colorectal cancer tissues were the immunostained using antibodies for survivin. The immunostain was recorded as 0~3 depending on the stain intensity distribution in the cytoplasm and the nucleus. RESULTS: Survivin was localized in the nucleus and/or cytoplasm of tumor cells. We could differentiate between cytoplasmic and nuclear localization of survivin protein expression. Among the cancer expressions, 35.8% demonstrated nuclear staining, and 51.9% demonstrated cytoplasm staining. Statistical analysis revealed that cytoplasmic survivin expression was correlated with lymph-node metastasis, tumor stage, and patient survival. CONCLUSIONS: Survivin expression was correlated with clinicopathologic prognostic parameters and with the outcome. Thus, it can be both a useful diagnostic marker for colorectal carcinomas and an important source of prognostic information for patients with a colorectal carcinoma. Survivin will become a potential new target in anti-cancer therapy in near future.