High nuclear expression of the apoptosis inhibitor protein survivin is associated with disease recurrence and poor prognosis in laryngeal basaloid squamous cell carcinoma.
CONCLUSIONS
Nuclear expression of survivin should be studied as a promising marker of higher-risk laryngeal basaloid squamous cell carcinomas (BSCCs), which can then be treated more aggressively and followed more closely.


OBJECTIVE
BSCC is an uncommon bimorphic variant of SCC. The hypothesized greater aggressiveness and poorer prognosis of head and neck BSCC compared to SCC are still under debate. The regulation of apoptotic cell death has a profound effect on the pathogenesis and progression of malignancies. Survivin is the smallest member of the inhibitor of apoptosis gene family. The aim of this study was to investigate for the first time the expression of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein survivin in laryngeal BSCCs and their neck lymph node metastases and to compare the results with those obtained with conventional SCCs.


METHODS
Immunoreactivity to survivin was determined in nine laryngeal BSCCs and nine site- and stage-matched SCCs.


RESULTS
A nuclear subcellular localization of survivin dominated in both primary laryngeal BSCCs and SCCs and in their lymph node metastases. There was no significant difference in mean survivin expression between primary laryngeal BSCCs (25.1%) and SCCs (25.6%) (p=0.86). Nuclear survivin expression was significantly higher in BSCCs associated with disease recurrence and poor prognosis (p=0.02).
Marioni
Gino
G
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Padua, Padua, Italy. g_marioni@virgilio.it
Ottaviano
Giancarlo
G
Marchese-Ragona
Rosario
R
Giacomelli
Luciano
L
Bertolin
Andy
A
Zanon
Davide
D
Marino
Filippo
F
Staffieri
Alberto
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017209:Apoptosis; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D002281:Carcinoma, Basosquamous / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D000077022:Survivin
C107489:BIRC5 protein, human; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D000077022:Survivin