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Monitoring Survivin Expression in Cancer: Implications for Prognosis and Therapy

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Abstract

Survivin, a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein family, is one of the most cancer-specific proteins identified to date. Survivin expression is low or undetectable in most adult tissues, but, alternatively, is overexpressed in a large number of tumors. This multifunctional protein is recognized as a key regulator in apoptosis, proliferation and angiogenesis in the tumor environment. Several studies have shown a correlation between survivin upregulation and poor cancer prognosis, and, as expected, its downregulation or inactivation leads to inhibition of tumor growth. Therefore, survivin has attracted increasing attention both as a potential cancer biomarker and as a new target for anticancer therapies. This review summarizes and discusses survivin expression and its potential as a prognostic and diagnostic biomarker in different types of tumors, as well as provides an overview of the current therapeutic challenges of targeting survivin as a treatment strategy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto do Câncer do Estado de São Paulo, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Rodrigo Santa Cruz Guindalini

  2. Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública, Bahia, Brazil

    Maria Cecília Mathias Machado

  3. Centro de Oncologia e Instituto de Pesquisa e Ensino, Hospital Sírio Libanês, Av Adma Jafet 91, São Paulo, 01308-050, Brazil

    Bernardo Garicochea

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  1. Rodrigo Santa Cruz Guindalini
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  2. Maria Cecília Mathias Machado
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  3. Bernardo Garicochea
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Correspondence to Bernardo Garicochea.

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Guindalini, R.S.C., Mathias Machado, M.C. & Garicochea, B. Monitoring Survivin Expression in Cancer: Implications for Prognosis and Therapy. Mol Diagn Ther 17, 331–342 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40291-013-0048-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40291-013-0048-1

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