Clinical significance of ERCC2 haplotype-tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms in patients with unresectable non-small cell lung cancer treated with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: First-line platinum-based chemotherapy is currently considered the standard treatment for unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy results in poor prognoses. The DNA repair pathway is a crucial molecular mechanism potentially involved in resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy. ERCC2 plays an integral role in the nucleotide excision repair pathway. Furthermore, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and haplotypes in the ERCC2 gene are thought to be associated with the risk of developing lung cancer and clinical outcomes. Therefore, we evaluated the impact of ERCC2 haplotype-tagging SNPs (htSNPs) on the clinical parameters of first-line platinum-based chemotherapy in unresectable NSCLC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We genotyped 8 ERCC2 htSNPs for 129 unresectable NSCLC (stage IIIA, 12; stage III, 36; stage IV, 82) cases treated with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. Clinical characteristics, treatment outcomes, hematological and non-hematological toxicities, and predictive value of the htSNPs in patient response, survival, and adverse events related to platinum-based chemotherapy were analyzed according to each ERCC2 htSNP using the chi-square test, Kaplan-Meier method, and Cox proportional hazard model.

RESULTS: No differences were observed in patient or disease characteristics and response according to ERCC2 htSNPs. In a survival analysis, rs50872 was significantly related to overall survival (OS) (log-rank test, p=0.014). The median survival duration of rs50872 G/G, A/G, and A/A genotypes was 35.75 (95% confidence interval [CI] 21.05-50.45), 36.07 (hazard ratio [HR] 1.02, 95% CI 25.20-46.94), and 16.75 (HR 3.49, 95% CI 5.73-27.77) months, respectively. A significant association was observed between grades 3 and 4 infections and poor survival: OS in patients with a grade 0-2 infection: 35.75 months (95% CI 28.15-43.35); OS in patients with a grade 3-4 infection: 12.86 months (95% CI 8.99-16.72, HR 3.57) (log-rank test, p<0.001). In a subgroup analysis based on taxane-platinum vs. gemcitabine-platinum doublets, the rs238405 genotype was significantly related to OS in the taxane-platinum doublets group. However, the rs238416 genotype was significantly associated with OS in the gemcitabine-based group.

CONCLUSIONS: ERCC2 htSNPs rs50872 (overall), rs238405 (taxane-platinum doublets group), and rs238416 (gemcitabine-platinum doublets group) and infection related to first-line chemotherapy were associated with OS in unresectable NSCLC patients treated with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. However, additional large prospective studies focusing on the role of ERCC2 htSNPs in unresectable NSCLC are needed.