Background: This study examined the role of Survivin protein, a novel inhibitor of apoptosis, in determining prognosis after curative resection of stage II colorectal carcinomas.
Methods: Expression of Survivin, P53, and BCL-2 was evaluated immunohistochemically in stage II colorectal carcinomas from 49 patients who were followed for up to 9 years after operation. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to examine the predictive value of several covariates.
Results: The patients comprised 33 men and 16 women with a median age of 71 years. There were 32 colonic and 17 rectal cancers comprising 40 T3 and nine T4 primary tumors. Survivin was expressed in 30 (61.2%), P53 in 30 (61.2%), and BCL-2 in 21 (42.9%) tumors. Expression of Survivin was independent of P53 or BCL-2 expression and histopathological characteristics of the tumor. The 5-year survival rate of patients with Survivin-positive tumors was significantly lower than that of patients with Survivin-negative tumors (52.5% vs. 94.1%, respectively; P = .01). On multivariate analysis, expression of Survivin (Hazard Ratio [HR] = 9; P = .03), and rectal origin of cancer (HR = 3; P = .05) were the only factors which independently predicted an increased risk of death from recurrent cancer.
Conclusion: Survivin expression within the tumor can identify patients with stage II colorectal carcinoma who are at increased risk of death from recurrent disease and might particularly benefit from adjuvant therapy.