This document discusses a study investigating the role of the protein survivin in nicotine-related, drug-resistant lung cancer. The study found that survivin allows nicotine to confer doxorubicin resistance in cancer cells. It also found that silencing survivin expression inhibits activation of the EGFR protein in lung cancer cells, independent of epidermal growth factor binding. The results suggest that reducing survivin expression may help treat drug-resistant lung cancers and provide insight into the mechanisms by which nicotine causes drug resistance.