title: Significance of survivin expression: Prognostic value and survival in stage III non-small cell lung cancer.
abstract: This study was designed to determine the levels of survivin expression and identify its clinical significance as a prognostic factor for stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A total of 210 cases of stage III NSCLC were collected and the expression levels of survivin and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) in tumor tissues were investigated using immunohistochemistry (IHC). The medical records of the patients were reviewed to determine the association with clinical course. Of the 210 NSCLC tissues, 112 (53.3%) cases demonstrated positive expression of survivin protein. Coexpression of survivin and VEGF-A was identified. The 5-year survival rate of patients with positive survivin expression was significantly lower compared with the survivin-negative cancer patients (P<0.05). The expression of survivin in NSCLC correlated with tumor size. Survivin and VEGF-A were independent prognostic factors of stage III NSCLC. Survivin protein is a valuable marker of prognosis in stage III NSCLC patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150086,  P.R. China.
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Bao-Gang
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zhao-Yang
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Xuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Gong-Yan
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Chen