Expression of survivin in oral squamous cell carcinomas and correlation with expressions of Bcl-2, p53 and Bax

Objective To examine the expression of survivin, a novel member of inhibitors of apoptosis protein (IAP) in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) and the relationship between the expression of survivin and that of Bcl-2,p53,Bax.Methods The expressions of surviving, Bcl-2, p53, and Bax in 27 cases of OSCC and 1 case of mammary carcinoma and 11 cases of normal oral tissues were examined by immunohistochemistry. All the patients were not treated with chemotherapy, radiotherapy and biologic therapy before operation.Results The expression of survivin was observed in 88.8% (24/27) OSCC samples and none in normal oral tissues. The expression of survivin was increased with high pathologic grades. Survivin expression was not associated with lymph node metastasis, age, and sex (P0.05). The expression of survivin was correlated with the expression of Bcl-2 and p53, but negatively related with the expression of bax (P0.05).Conclusion The expression of survivin is correlated with the malignant potential of OSCC. Survivin may cooperate with Bcl-2 and antagonize p53 and Bax.