AIM:To study the expression of survivin,an inhibitor ofapoptosis protein,in human gastric carcinomas and gastriccarcinoma models of rats.METHODS:With the method of immunohistochemicalstaining,we studied the expression of survivin in 20 casesof chronic gastritis and 56 cases of gastric carcinomas.Weused N-methyl-N’-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) andhigh dose sodium-chloride diet to induce rat gastriccarcinomas.Survivin expression was studied in glandularstomachs of normal rats,adenocarcinomas and tissuesadjacent to the tumor,as well as in rats during theinduction period.RESULTS:Survivin was expressed in 27 of 56 (48.2%)cases of human gastric carcinoma tissues and i of 20 (5%)cases of chronic gastritis.It was found that the expressionof survivin had no relation with the elements of age,tumordepth,tumor size,and disease stage,but was significantlyrelated to histological type.The positive rate of survivinexpression in cases of intestinal type was significantly higherthan that in cases of diffuse type (P<0.05).In animalexperiments,survivin expression in glandular stomachs ofnormal rats,of rats in middle induction period,inadenocarcinomas and tissues adjacent to tumor were 0,40.0%,78.3% and 38.9%,respectively.Compared withthe survivin expression in normal rats,the differences weresignificant.CONCLUSION:These data imply that survivin plays animportant role in the onset of gastric carcinoma and thathigh survivin expression is an early event of gastriccarcinoma. AIM: To study the expression of survivin, an inhibitor ofapoptosis protein, in human gastric carcinomas and gastriccarcinoma models of rats. METHODS: With the method of immunohistochemical staining, we studied the expression of survivin in 20 cases of chronic gastritis and 56 cases of gastric carcinomas. Weused N-methyl-N’-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) and high dose sodium-chloride diet to induce rat gastriccarcinomas. Survivin expression was studied in glandulars to machs of normal rats, adenocarcinomas and tissues adjacent to the tumor, as well as in rats during The induction period was significantly increased in 27 of 56 (48.2%) cases of human gastric carcinoma tissues and i of 20 (5%) cases of chronic gastritis. It was found that the expression of survivin had no relation with the elements of age , tumordepth, tumor size, and disease stage, but was significantly related to histological type. The positive rate of survivinexpression in cases of intestinal type was significantly higherthan that in cases of diffuse type (P <0.05). In animalexperiments, survivin expression in glandular stomachs of normal rats, of rats in middle induction period, inadenocarcinomas and tissues adjacent to tumor were 0, 40.0%, 78.3% and 38.9%, respectively. Compared with the survivin expression in normal rats, the differences weresignificant. CONCLUSION: These data imply that survivin plays animportant role in the onset of gastric carcinoma and that high survivin expression is an early event of gastriccarcinoma.