AIM:Toevaluatetheroleofsurvivinandcaspase-3inapoptosisofgastriccarcinoma,aswellasinprognosisofpatientswithgastriccarcinoma.METHODS:Expressionsofsurvivinandcaspase-3wereinvestigatedimmunohistochemicallyin80gastriccarcinomapatientswithoutahistoryofchemo-radiationtherapy.TumorcellapoptosiswasexaminedbyTUNELmethod.RESULTS:Immunohistochemicalanalysisshowedthatsurvivinexpressionwaspositivein61of80patients(76%)withgastriccarcinoma.Incontrast,noexpressionofsurvivininadjacentnormaltissueswasdetected.Expressionlevelofcaspase-3washigherinnormaltissuesthanincarcinoma.Patientswithhigherexpressionofsurvivinhadworsehistologicalgradesandpathologicalstages.Expressionofcaspase-3wassignificantlyassociatedwithhistologicalstages,butnotwiththepathologicalstages.Althoughsurvivinexpressionincarcinomawasnotinverselyrelatedtocaspase-3,patientswithsurvivin(-)andcaspase-3(+)hadthemaximumapoptosisindex.CONCLUSION:Expressionlevelofsurvivinwasassociatedwithhistologicalgradesandpathologicalstagesofthetumor,indicatingthatsurvivinmaybeapoorprognosisfactorforgastriccarcinoma.Unlikecaspase-3,survivin(anapoptosisinhibitor)canmarkedlyinhibittheapoptosisoftumorcells.
