Expression of cytoplasmic and nuclear Survivin in primary and secondary human glioblastoma

Abstract

Clinically, human glioblastoma (GBM) may develop de novo or from a low-grade glioma (secondary GBM), and molecular alterations in the two pathways may differ. This study examined the status of Survivin expression and apoptosis in 30 primary and 26 secondary GBMs. Our results show that cytoplasmic Survivin positivity was significantly (Po0.001) more frequent in primary GBMs (83%) than that in secondary GBMs (46%). In addition, an inverse correlation of cytoplasmc Survivin positivity with GBM apoptotic index, and a positive association between cytoplasmic Survivin and size of the tumours were observed. These results suggest that cytoplasmic Survivin, via its antiapoptotic function, may be involved in the tumorigenesis of many primary GBMs, but only in a small fraction of secondary GBMs. Furthermore, the overall progression times from low-grade precursor lesions to secondary GBMs were significantly shorter (Po0.05) in cytoplasmic Survivin-positive cases (mean, 15.6 months) than those in Survivin-negative cases (mean, 23.8 moths), and the positive expression level of Survivin in cytoplasm was upregulated in most secondary GBMs when compared to matched pre-existing low-graded lesions. These results suggest that the increased accumulation of Survivin in the cytoplasm of more malignant glioma cells may prove to be a selective advantage, thus accelerating progression to a more aggressive phenotype.

Long-term maintenance of prognostic value of survivin and its relationship with p53 in T4 breast cancer patients

“…in regards to potential prognostic factors, nuclear or cytoplasmic survivin has been demonstrated to be an unfavorable prognostic marker in several types of tumors, while other studies have described nuclear or cytoplasmic survivin as a favorable prognostic marker (20)(21)(22)(23)(24). in our study, the statistical analysis showed that the patients whose tumors did not express survivin had a better outcome compared to survivin-positive tumors in terms of either DFS or OS.…”

Association of survivin splice variants with prognosis and treatment of breast cancer

“…Recently, a critical role for survivin in the control of autophagy was also reported [8] . Survivin, normally expressed during embryonic and fetal development, is downregulated in adult tissues and overexpressed in a variety of human cancers [9][10][11][12] . Inhibition of apoptosis by survivin is a predictor of poor prognosis and shorter survival in patients suffering from various carcinomas [13] .…”

Nuclear Survivin: Cellular Consequences and Therapeutic Implications

“…However, despite the plethora of data collected, the prognostic significance of the subcellular distribution of survivin in cancer remains unclear. In 2005 a review of the subject returned a hung jury, revealing more opposing conclusions and contradictions than commonalities (Li et al, 2005); see also (Xie et al, 2006). As most of these clinical-based studies used histopathological samples, the lack of uniformity in sample collection and preservation between labs, together with differences in antibody protocols and the subjective nature of the analysis are likely to have contributed to the variation within these data (Li et al, 2005).…”