Significance of survivin expression: Prognostic value and survival in stage III non-small cell lung cancer

• Published in: Experimental and therapeutic medicine Vol. 3; no. 6; pp. 983 - 988
• Main Authors: WANG, MENG, LIU, BAO-GANG, YANG, ZHAO-YANG, HONG, XUAN, CHEN, GONG-YAN
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Greece D.A. Spandidos 01.06.2012
• Subjects: immunohistochemistry; prognostic marker; survivin; VEGF-A
• ISSN: 1792-0981; 1792-1015
• DOI: 10.3892/etm.2012.512

This study was designed to determine the levels of survivin expression and identify its clinical significance as a prognostic factor for stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A total of 210 cases of stage III NSCLC were collected and the expression levels of survivin and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) in tumor tissues were investigated using immunohistochemistry (IHC). The medical records of the patients were reviewed to determine the association with clinical course. Of the 210 NSCLC tissues, 112 (53.3%) cases demonstrated positive expression of survivin protein. Coexpression of survivin and VEGF-A was identified. The 5-year survival rate of patients with positive survivin expression was significantly lower compared with the survivin-negative cancer patients (P<0.05). The expression of survivin in NSCLC correlated with tumor size. Survivin and VEGF-A were independent prognostic factors of stage III NSCLC. Survivin protein is a valuable marker of prognosis in stage III NSCLC patients.