High expression of nuclear survivin and Aurora B predicts poor overall survival in patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer

• Published in: Strahlentherapie und Onkologie 2012-03, Vol.188 (3), p.248-254
• Main Authors: Erpolat, O.P., Gocun, P.U., Akmansu, M., Karakus, E., Akyol, G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aurora Kinase B; Aurora Kinases; Biomarkers, Tumor - metabolism; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - diagnosis; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - mortality; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - pathology; Cell Nucleus - enzymology; Cell Nucleus - metabolism; Cytoplasm - enzymology; Cytoplasm - metabolism; Female; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Head and Neck Neoplasms - diagnosis; Head and Neck Neoplasms - mortality; Head and Neck Neoplasms - pathology; Humans; Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins - metabolism; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Oncology; Original Article; Prognosis; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases - metabolism; Radiotherapy; Survival Analysis
• ISSN: 0179-7158; 1439-099X
• DOI: 10.1007/s00066-011-0042-7

Background and purpose Survivin is one of the apoptosis inhibitor proteins. Together with Aurora B, it also plays a role in regulating several aspects of mitosis. High expression of these markers is correlated with malignant behavior of various cancers and resistance to therapy. Our aim was to evaluate the prognostic role of these markers in head and neck cancers. Patients and methods We evaluated the expression of Aurora B and survivin in tissue specimens of 58 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma using immunohistochemistry. Results Patients who showed high expression of cytoplasmic and nuclear survivin and Aurora B had significantly shorter overall survival (p = 0.036, p