Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) and Survivin (S) expression in non-Hogkin's lymphomas

Survivin (S) is a member of inhibitor of apoptosis family (IAP) and is expressed in the majority of malignant tumors but undetectable in normal differentiated adult tissues. S is an encouraging target for cancer therapy. TSP-1 is a multifunctional protein regulating cell growth, motility and apoptosis in both physiological and pathological conditions. The role of TSP-1 in cancer progression remains controversial. We aimed to determine the pathogenetic and prognostic role of TSP-1 and S in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL). S and TSP-1 expressions were looked for in 177 cases with NHL. S was found to be positive in 94 of the cases (53%). TSP-1 was found to be positive in 31 of the cases (17.5%). There was a strong association between S and TSP-1 and also aggressive histology with S and TSP-1. The overall survival (OS) times were longer in cases without S expression than cases with S expression (p = 0.0514). Although the OS was shorter in TSP-1 expressing cases as compared with TSP-1 (−) cases, difference was not significant (p = 0.2428).In conclusion, S and TSP-1 expressions were detected in 53 and 17.5% of the cases with NHL, and are associated with aggressive histology and shorter OS.