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Targeting Survivin in Cancer Therapy: Clinical Considerations

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Apoptosome

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Abstract

Survivin, the smallest member in the IAP family, has crucial roles in cancer proliferation. It is overexpressed in most human cancers, but is almost undetectable in most normal tissues. Thus, control of the function or expression of survivin might be useful for cancer treatments, including cancer diagnosis and therapy. In this chapter, we introduce the novel roles of survivin in clinical cancer treatments, including cancer diagnosis and therapeutic strategies.

Survivin shows significant differential expression between malignant and normal adult cells. It has been reported that the detection of survivin serves as a cancer diagnostic marker, prognostic marker, and predictor of response to cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and chemoradiation therapy.

Recently, various therapeutic strategies for cancer targeting survivin have been reported, including both strategies in the experimental setting and the clinical setting. In this section, typical therapeutic strategies for cancer and agents targeting survivin in clinical setting are described, including YM155, survivin antisense oligonucleotides (LY2181308), terameprocol (EM-1421), flavopiridol, and immunotherapies such as peptide vaccine therapy and DC vaccine therapy. Further fundamental and preclinical studies will lead to new therapeutic strategies for cancer targeting survivin becoming established cancer therapies, like surgical operation, chemotherapy, and radiation.

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Abbreviations

ASO:

Antisense oligonucleotide

CEA:

Carcinoembryonic antigen

cdk:

Cyclin-dependent kinase

CTL:

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte

DC:

Dendritic cell

ELISA:

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

IAP:

Inhibitor of apoptosis

NSCLC:

Non-small cell lung cancer

PR:

Partial response

PBL:

Peripheral blood lymphocyte

PSA:

Prostate-specific antigen

RNAi:

RNA interference

SD:

Stable disease

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery and Pathology, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, South 1 West 16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, 060-8543, Japan

    Tetsuhiro Tsuruma, Hidekaz Kameshima, Yuji Iwayama, Toshihiko Torigoe, Yoshihiko Hirohashi, Noriyuki Sato & Koichi Hirata

Authors
  1. Tetsuhiro Tsuruma
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  2. Hidekaz Kameshima
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  3. Yuji Iwayama
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  4. Toshihiko Torigoe
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  5. Yoshihiko Hirohashi
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  6. Noriyuki Sato
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  7. Koichi Hirata
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Correspondence to Tetsuhiro Tsuruma .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dipto. Biologia, Università di Roma, Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica, Roma, 00133, Italy

    Francesco Cecconi

  2. IRCCS, Fondazione Santa Lucia, Via Fosso di Fiorano, Roma, 00143, Italy

    Marcello D'Amelio

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Tsuruma, T. et al. (2010). Targeting Survivin in Cancer Therapy: Clinical Considerations. In: Cecconi, F., D'Amelio, M. (eds) Apoptosome. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3415-1_16

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