BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: A novel inhibitor of apoptosis Survivin has recently been found in many common human cancers but not in normal tissues. Its potential distribution in human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HLSCC) and its implication for inhibition of apoptosis were not yet very clear. This study was designed to investigate the expression of survivin and the probabilities of using it as a new indicator of the prognosis of HLSCC. METHODS: HLSCC samples from 71 patients treated in Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between 1995 and 1998 were analyzed for survivin expression by immunohistochemistry method. The patients were followed-up for long term and the relationship between survivin expression and clinical data including age, gender, classification, clinical type, pathological type, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and prognosis were analyzed using software SPSS11.0. RESULTS: The expression rate was 50.7% (36/71) in all 71 cases. The expression rate was 81.8% (9/11) in the cases with lymph nodes metastasis, which was higher than that in the cases without lymph nodes metastasis (45%, 27/60), with significant difference (P=0.025). Univariate analysis revealed that classification,type and survivin expression were significantly related to the prognosis of HLSCC. P value were 0.0001, 0.009, and 0.0008, respectively. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the patients with positive survivin had significant shorter survival (63.5 months) than those with negative survivin (84.0 months) (P=0.006) except the effect of classification and type on the prognosis of HLSCC. CONCLUSION: Survivin expressed in HLSCC especially in the cases with lymph nodes metastasis. Its expression may related to the prognosis of HLSCC.
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: A novel inhibitor of apoptosis Survivin has recently been found in many common humancancers but not in normal tissues. Its potential distribution in humanlaryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HLSCC) and its implication for inhibition of apoptosis were not yet very clear. This study was designed to investigate the expression of survivin and the probabilities of using it as a new indicator of the prognosis of HLSCC. METHODS: HLSCC samples from 71 patients treated in Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between 1995 and 1998 were analyzed for survivin expression by immunohistochemistry method. The patients were followed-up for long term and the relationship between survivin expression and clinical data including age, gender, classification, clinical type, pathological type, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and prognosis were analyzed using software SPSS11.0. RESULTS: The expression rate was 50.7% (36/71) in all 71 cases. The expression rate was 81.8% (9/11) in the cases with lymph nodes metastasis, which was higher than that in the cases without lymph nodes metastasis (45%, 27/60), with significant difference (P=0.025). Univariate analysis revealed that classification,type and survivin expression were significantly related to the prognosis of HLSCC. P value were 0.0001, 0.009, and 0.0008, respectively. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the patients with positive survivin had significant shorter survival (63.5 months) than those with negative survivin (84.0 months) (P=0.006) except the effect of classification and type on the prognosis of HLSCC. CONCLUSION: Survivin expressed in HLSCC especially in the cases with lymph nodes metastasis. Its expression may related to the prognosis of HLSCC.