Published online Oct 28, 2007. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v13.i40.5306
Revised: August 17, 2007
Accepted: August 30, 2007
Published online: October 28, 2007
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.