title: Survivin expression in early hepatocellular carcinoma and post-treatment with anti-cancer drug under hypoxic culture condition.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that survivin could be used as a therapeutic target in early HCC.
authors: Division of Gastroenterology 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
authors: Satoshi
authors: S
authors: Mamori
authors: Tadashi
authors: T
authors: Asakura
authors: Kiyoshi
authors: K
authors: Ohkawa
authors: Hisao
authors: H
authors: Tajiri
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001706:Biopsy; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015687:Cell Hypoxia; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D015251:Epirubicin / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000077022:Survivin
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; C107489:BIRC5 protein, human; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D000077022:Survivin; D015251:Epirubicin