Survivin is a member of the family of apoptosis inhibitors. It regulates several essential cellular processes, i.e. it inhibits apoptosis and promotes cell proliferation, DNA repair and autophagy. Survivin is responsible for development of the cell's resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Overexpression of survivin generally correlates with poor prognosis. Its presence has been detected in most types of human tumours. Currently much attention is paid to the possibilities of using this protein as a diagnostic marker of cancer or a prognostic factor. Survivin occurs selectively in cancer cells and is essential for their survival. These features make survivin a promising target for cancer therapy. There are some strategies for discovering survivin inhibitors. The most common strategies are antisense nucleotides, RNA interference and small molecule inhibitors of protein. Scientists are also working on using survivin to induce an immune response in cancer patients. This article discusses the potential role of survivin in the diagnosis of various types of cancer, as well as selected strategies for the inhibition of both gene expression and protein function. Detailed knowledge of the mechanisms of survivin action may therefore be crucial for effective antitumor therapy development.