mRNA expression and clinical significance of ERCC1, BRCA1, RRM1, TYMS and TUBB3 in postoperative patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: To explore mRNA expression and clinical significance of ERCC1, BRCA1, RRM1, TYMS and TUBB3 genes in tumor tissue of postoperative patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty NSCLC patients undergoing radical operation in our hospital from Nov., 2011 to Jun., 2012 were selected. Plasmid standards of ERCC1, BRCA1, RRM1, TYMS and TUBB3 were established and standard curves were prepared by SYBR fluorescent real-time quantitative PCR analysis. Samples from tumor centers were taken to detect mRNA expression of ERCC1, BRCA1, RRM1, TYMS and TUBB3 genes in cancerous tissue during operation. The total mRNA expression quantities were compared according to different clinical characteristics.

RESULTS: The total expression quantities of 5 genotypes from high to low were ERCC1>RRM1>TUBB3>TYMS>BRCA1 in turn. By pairwise comparisons, other differences showed statistical significance (p<0.05 or p<0.01) except for TYMS and TUBB3 (p>0.05); the low expression rates from high to low were ERCC1>TYMS>TUBB3>TUBB3>RRM1>BRCA1 in turn. The expression quantities of BRCA1, RRM1 and TYMS in males, smokers and patients without adenocarcinoma were all significantly higher than that in females, non-smokers and patients with adenocarcinoma, and significant differences were present (p<0.05 or p<0.01). In terms of pathological staging, the expression quantities of BRCA1, RRM1 and TYMS in phases IIa~IIb and IIIa~IIIb had a tendency to be greater than in phases I and IV.

CONCLUSIONS: Resistance to chemotherapy and sensitivity to targeted therapy differ among patients with NSCLC. Differences in gene expression in different individuals were also revealed. Only according to personalized detection results can individualized therapeutic regimens be worked out, which is a new direction for oncotherapy.