DNA repair by ERCC1 in non-small-cell lung cancer and cisplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy

N Engl J Med. 2006 Sep 7;355(10):983-91. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa060570.

Abstract

Background: Adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy improves survival among patients with completely resected non-small-cell lung cancer, but there is no validated clinical or biologic predictor of the benefit of chemotherapy.

Methods: We used immunohistochemical analysis to determine the expression of the excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) protein in operative specimens of non-small-cell lung cancer. The patients had been enrolled in the International Adjuvant Lung Cancer Trial, thereby allowing a comparison of the effect of adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy on survival, according to ERCC1 expression. Overall survival was analyzed with a Cox model adjusted for clinical and pathological factors.

Results: Among 761 tumors, ERCC1 expression was positive in 335 (44%) and negative in 426 (56%). A benefit from cisplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with the absence of ERCC1 (test for interaction, P=0.009). Adjuvant chemotherapy, as compared with observation, significantly prolonged survival among patients with ERCC1-negative tumors (adjusted hazard ratio for death, 0.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.50 to 0.86; P=0.002) but not among patients with ERCC1-positive tumors (adjusted hazard ratio for death, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.84 to 1.55; P=0.40). Among patients who did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy, those with ERCC1-positive tumors survived longer than those with ERCC1-negative tumors (adjusted hazard ratio for death, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.49 to 0.90; P=0.009).

Conclusions: Patients with completely resected non-small-cell lung cancer and ERCC1-negative tumors appear to benefit from adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy, whereas patients with ERCC1-positive tumors do not.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use*
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / genetics
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / metabolism*
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / drug therapy
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / metabolism*
  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / mortality
  • Chemotherapy, Adjuvant
  • Cisplatin / administration & dosage*
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • DNA Repair*
  • DNA, Neoplasm / metabolism
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / genetics
  • Endonucleases / genetics
  • Endonucleases / metabolism*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Lung Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Lung Neoplasms / mortality
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Proportional Hazards Models
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • Survival Rate

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • DNA, Neoplasm
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • RNA, Messenger
  • ERCC1 protein, human
  • Endonucleases
  • Cisplatin