Association between polymorphisms in DNA repair genes and survival of non-smoking female patients with lung adenocarcinoma

We used polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method to evaluate SNPs in ERCC2, ERCC1 and XRCC1 genes among 257 patients.The overall median survival time (MST) was 13.07 months. Increasing numbers of either ERCC1 118 or XRCC1 399 variant alleles were associated with shorter survival of non-smoking female lung adenocarcinoma patients (Log-rank P < 0.001). The adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for individuals with CT or TT genotype at ERCC1 Asn118Asn were 1.48 and 2.67 compared with those with CC genotype. For polymorphism of XRCC1 399, the HRs were 1.28 and 2.68 for GA and AA genotype. When variant alleles across both polymorphisms were combined to analysis, the increasing number of variant alleles was associated with decreasing overall survival. Using the stepwise Cox regression analysis, we found that the polymorphisms in ERCC1 and XRCC1, tumor stage and chemotherapy or radiotherapy status independently predicted overall survival of non-smoking female patients with lung adenocarcinoma.Genetic polymorphisms in ERCC1 and XRCC1 genes might be prognostic factors in non-smoking female patients with lung adenocarcinoma.Lung cancer is a major cause of cancer mortality worldwide, and more than a million people in the world die from the disease each year [1]. Adenocarcinoma accounts for about 25% to 40% of all lung cancers, and is now the most common form of lung cancer in women [2]. It is the most frequent subtype occurring in those who have never smoked. Five-year survival rate of lung cancer is at only 15% in the United States and even lower in China [3]. Genetic factors are considered to influence the treatment effectiveness of lung cancer [4], and thus affect the prognosis of patients. There are some molecular markers showing potential as therapeutic and prognostic indicators, but none could be used into clinical practice [5,6]. Of these factors, DNA repair capacity (DRC) is an important one. Several studies have shown associations be