title: Detection of Survivin and COX-2 in Thyroid Carcinoma: Anaplastic Carcinoma Shows Overexpression of Nuclear Survivin and Low COX-2 Expression.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Overexpression of survivin, a member of the inhibitors of apoptosis protein, has been reported in various carcinomas, and its interaction with cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) results in accelerated tumor progression. The purpose of this study is to investigate the immunohistochemical expression of survivin and COX-2 in benign and malignant thyroid tissues and to define its association with pathologic and clinical features.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined expression of survivin and COX-2 by immunohistochemistry in 334 benign and malignant thyroid tissues and evaluated their clinical significance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Expression of survivin showed an increase along the spectrum of thyroid carcinoma progression; rarely positive in adenomatous goiter, moderately positive in papillary carcinoma, and strongly positive in anaplastic carcinoma (AC). Papillary microcarcinoma revealed the highest COX-2 positivity and AC demonstrated the lowest positivity among thyroid cancers. Node negative carcinomas showed higher COX-2 expression than node positive tumors. Survivin expression did not correlate with COX-2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that survivin overexpression may be related to the pathogenesis of AC and can be a predictor of disease progression. COX-2 may be involved in the early phase of thyroid carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Young A
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Meesoo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Young Joo
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Ji Eun
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: BIRC5 protein, human; Cyclooxygenase 2; Thyroid cancer, anaplastic; Thyroid gland