Survivin expression is significantly higher in pN+ oral and oropharyngeal primary squamous cell carcinomas than in pN0 carcinomas.
CONCLUSIONS
The preliminary results reported here suggest that survivin expression in primary oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) may identify patients at risk of disease disseminating to neck lymph nodes. If these results are confirmed in larger series of patients it may imply that elective neck dissection should be considered in clinically N0 patients with oral and oropharyngeal SCCs who show high expression of survivin.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the expression of survivin, a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis proteins family, in patients with primary oral and oropharyngeal SCCs with and without neck lymph node metastases.


METHODS
We considered 13 consecutive cases of oral and oropharyngeal SCCs with lymph node metastases (pN + ) and 13 cases of pN0 oral and oropharyngeal SCCs. The survivin reactivity of primary SCCs and lymph node metastases was evaluated immunohistochemically. A lesion was considered positive if >9.5% of the tumour cells showed diffuse strong staining.


RESULTS
Sporadic groups of normal basal and parabasal epithelial cells showed weak survivin staining. In SCCs, a nuclear reaction predominated. Eight primary pN+ SCCs were survivin-positive (mean expression 34.7%), compared to 5 primary pN0 SCCs (mean expression 12.3%; p=0.017). Statistical analysis disclosed significantly higher survivin expression in primary oral and oropharyngeal SCCs that developed distant non-lymphatic metastases (p=0.012).
Marioni
Gino
G
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Padua, Padua, Italy. g_marioni@virgilio.it
Bedogni
Alberto
A
Giacomelli
Luciano
L
Ferraro
Silvia Maria
SM
Bertolin
Andy
A
Facco
Elisa
E
Staffieri
Alberto
A
Marino
Filippo
F
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009959:Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D000077022:Survivin
C107489:BIRC5 protein, human; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D000077022:Survivin