Survivin expression in patients diagnosed with gastrintestinal stromal tumours and its significance

Survivin expression in patients diagnosed with Gastrintestinal StromalTumours and its significance - SUMMARYThis study was carried between June 1998 and January 2007 among 20 patients (12male and 8 female) diagnosed with GIST. Two expert pathologists in the field studied thesurvivin expression using the immunohistochemical method using preparats with GISTdiagnosis.Based on the samples in the literature, the survivin expression rates were determinedin two groups as negative for the ones below %5 and positive for the ones above %5. Thosethat were above %5 were included in the positive group. In our study, which is a first in theliterature, the positive rate of survivin as an immunohistochemical in GIST was determined as%50. The median ages of patients in the positive survivin and negative survivin tumor groupswere alike. Considering the tumor size and number of mitosis for the risk classification, therisk classes in the survivin positive group as 2-low, 4-medium, and 4-high risk and in thesurvivin negative group as 1-low,5-medium, and 4-high risk were alike in the patients.The median follow-up time for the 20 patients was calculated as 25,5 months. Onlyone patient, during this follow-up period, died and his survivin expression rate was %20,disease free survival period 25 months, and overall survial time 28 months.Due to the lack of necessary follow-up time, inadequate number of patients and thedeath of only one patient out of 20, a concluding analysis couldn't be completed for theoverall survivin time difference between the positive and negative survivin groups. However,though it had no statistical value, the better disease free and overall survival times of thepatients in the positive group when compared to the negative ones was interpreted as a resultof their longer median follow-up time. In a further study to be conducted on more patients anda longer follow-up time, the relationship between the GIST and survivin expression can bemore appropriately analyzed.