Liver Cancer
Copyright ©2007 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Oct 28, 2007; 13(40): 5306-5311
Published online Oct 28, 2007. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v13.i40.5306
Survivin expression in early hepatocellular carcinoma and post-treatment with anti-cancer drug under hypoxic culture condition
Satoshi Mamori, Tadashi Asakura, Kiyoshi Ohkawa, Hisao Tajiri
Satoshi Mamori, Hisao Tajiri, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo 105-8461, Japan
Tadashi Asakura, Kiyoshi Ohkawa, Department of Biochemistry 1, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo 105-8461, Japan
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Satoshi Mamori, MD, Division of Gastro-enterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishi-shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8461, Japan. mamori@jikei.ac.jp
Telephone: +81-3-34331111-3201 Fax: +81-3-34350569
Received: July 7, 2007
Revised: August 17, 2007
Accepted: August 30, 2007
Published online: October 28, 2007
Abstract

AIM: To investigate the expression of survivin during the early stages of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODS: Immunohistochemical expression of survivin in liver tumor and non-tumor tissue specimens taken from 17 patients was compared. In addition, to determine the survivin expression in response to anti-cancer drugs in early stage HCC, the survivin expression was determined after the treatment of the HCC cells with anti-cancer drugs under hypoxic culture conditions.

RESULTS: Survivin proteins were expressed in 64.7% of cells in early HCC specimens. A correlation between the survivin expression rate in the peritumoral hepatocytes and the rate of expression in the HCC specimens (low-rate group vs high-rate group) was observed. The survivin protein concentration in HCC cells was increased by the combination of hypoxia and anti-cancer drugs.

CONCLUSION: This study suggests that survivin could be used as a therapeutic target in early HCC.

Keywords: Survivin; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Hypoxia