Examination of survivin expression in 50 chordoma specimens--A histological and in vitro study.

Chordomas mainly arise along the axial skeleton and are characterized by their slow but destructive growth. Prognosis and quality of life are poor because treatment options are mainly limited to surgery and radiotherapy. Survivin, a member of the apoptosis inhibitor protein family, functions as a key regulator of mitosis and programmed cell death, and is overexpressed in many tumor types. The aim of this study was to determine the role of survivin in chordomas. Survivin expression was investigated in 50 chordoma samples and three chordoma cell lines using immunohistochemistry. The intensity of immunostaining was evaluated in regard to the development of recurrences. The immunohistochemical results were correlated with clinical parameters like gender, age, tumor size, and location and were performed in primary chordomas as well as in recurrent lesions. Furthermore, survivin knockdown experiments on chordoma cell lines were performed. YM155 decreased the growth behavior of chordoma cells dose- and time dependently. Transient knockdown of survivin led to a G2/M arrest, decreased proliferation, consistently induced an increase of polyploidy and morphological changes, and induced apoptosis. The resultant data from this study suggest that survivin plays a cell cycle-progressive role in chordomas. Hence, regulation of survivin by YM155 is a promising new target for the development of new therapeutic drugs.

Does insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) targeting provide new treatment options for chordomas? A retrospective clinical and immunohistochemical study.

AIMS: The overall prognosis of chordoma is poor, and current treatment options are limited. The insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) pathway is important for cell signalling, and attractive for selective inhibition. We investigated the expression of IGF-1R and its ligands, IGF-1 and IGF-2, in a series of 50 chordomas, in order to assess whether IGF-1R-signalling could be a potential target for specific inhibition in chordomas. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fifty chordomas (34 primary tumours, 16 recurrences) from 44 patients were evaluated immunohistochemically for the expression of IGF-1R, IGF-1 and IGF-2. Thirty-eight chordomas (76%) expressed IGF-1R, 46 (92%) expressed IGF-1 and 25 (50%) expressed IGF-2. Semi-quantitative analyses revealed a moderate to strong staining intensity in ≥ 50% of tumour cells for IGF-1R, IGF-1 and IGF-2 in 18 (36%), 32 (64%) and eight (16%) chordomas, respectively. Tumour volume correlated significantly with IGF-1R-staining intensity in primary chordomas (P = 0.042). CONCLUSIONS: IGF-1R and IGF-1 are expressed in the majority of chordomas. IGF-1 expression is much stronger than IGF-2 expression. Patients whose chordomas show a moderate to strong staining intensity in ≥ 50% of tumour cells for IGF-1R (36%) might benefit most from IGF-1R targeting, particularly if they suffer from large and surgically non-resectable chordomas.